Heartbeat
by pastaaddict
Summary: No one is born with a heartbeat. The heart will only start beating when a person looks into the eyes of their soul mate. Everybody waits for that day but it's easy to lose hope. Ch1 SuFin, Ch2 Gerita, Ch8, PruCan Valentine's Day Special Ch9 UsUK, Ch16 Giripan, Ch17 RoChu, Ch32 Spamano, Ch34 IceLiech. AU. Fan art created by Bluebellerin on Deviantart! Rated T just to be sure.
1. Heartbeat

**YES! I've beaten my writer's block to finally get this story done. I don't know how good it's going to be (I rewrote three times), I'll let you decide. Enjoy! (I hope)**

**Berwald**** – Sweden. ****Tino – Finland. Matthias – Denmark. Lukas – Norway. Eduard – Estonia. Katyusha - Ukraine. Emil – Iceland. Lars – Netherlands. Vash \- Switzerland. Lili \- Liechtenstein. Emma – Belgium. Peter – Sealand. Sven – Ladonia. Raivis – Latvia (I sure the Hetalia fans know all this!)**

**I do not own Hetalia!**

_**Heartbeat**_

Berwald Oxenstierna, like everyone else, was born without a heartbeat.

When he was five, he was taught in school, along with his school mates, that his heart would begin beating when he looked into the eyes of his soul mate, the one person he was destined to spend his life with. He asked his parents and they confirmed what his teacher had taught him.

"W'en will I me't 'em?" he asked. His mother and father looked at each other. This question was as dreaded by parents as _where do babies come from?_

"You could meet them tomorrow," his mother replied. "It could be years. There's no way to know, sweetheart." Berwald looked down at his chest and put his hand on his heart. He wanted to feel it beat.

"Just be patient, son," he father advised. "Don't go looking for your soul mate. You'll find them when you're supposed to."

Berwald still looked at everyone he met, waiting for his heart to start beating but it would be many years before he would find his soul mate.

* * *

A year after Berwald Oxenstierna, Tino Väinämöinen, like everyone else, was born without a heartbeat.

When he was five, he was also taught in school that his heart would begin beating when he look into the eyes of his soul mate, the one person he was destined to spend his life with. He, too, asked his parents the dreaded question.

"When will I meet my soul mate?" Tino wanted to meet them now.

"You never know, dear," his mother told him. "One day, you'll just see them and your heart will start to beat. It's best you don't look for them."

"Your mother's right," his father said. "You'll meet when the time is right, not before."

Tino still watched every new face that showed itself, waiting for the _babump, babump, babump_ but it would be a long time before his soul mate would start his heart beating.

* * *

_Berwald. Aged 10_

Berwald found it hard to make friends. He had a friendly nature but found it hard to express it and his stern face scared the other children away. When he finally found someone to be friends with, it was with a Danish boy called Matthias Kohler, a tearaway who constantly landed them in trouble with the teachers on a regular basis.

The two blondes sat side by side in class, Berwald's flat hairstyle contrasting with Matthias's spiky one as Matthias threw paper balls at the other non-swedish boy in the class, a Norwegian called Lukas Bondevik, trying to get his attention. Matthias wanted the Norwegian boy to hang out with them. Berwald thought Lukas might be a good friend to have but believed Lukas thought Matthias was annoying. He did not know why Matthias kept trying.

The teacher came in and those who were not sat down quickly got into their seats. Matthias had enough brains to stop throwing paper balls about.

"Morning class," she said. "First things first. As you know, we have a party of students from Finland arriving tomorrow. I trust you'll make them welcome?" A chorus of agreement answered her.

"Good," she replied. "Now open your books to page 14." As they all opened their books, Matthias leant over to Berwald.

"Should be interesting," he commented.

"M'ybe"

* * *

_Tino. Aged 9_

This had been his first trip away from home, let alone out of Finland and Tino was excited, even if it was to another school. He and his fellow students were herded into the school in Sweden by their own teacher.

"All right," he said to the pupils in his care. "Divide up by age." Tino moved into a group with the other nine year old children. The swedish teachers came out of their classrooms to collect the groups. The ten year olds were taken into Berwald's class while Tino's group were taken into a class of other nine year old students.

When the class was over, the Finnish students left the classrooms first and were back on their coach by the time Berwald and Matthias were out of the classroom. They made it outside just in time to watch the coach of finnish students disappear down the road.

* * *

_Berwald. Aged 16_

Matthias and Berwald were wrestling with each other, not true fighting, just messing around. Lukas was sat on a wall with his half-brother, Emil Steilsson, reading while Emil watched them with amusement.

Berwald grabbed Matthias round his waist and managed to get him down on to the grass and his ear went against the left side of Matthias's chest.

_Babump, babump!_

Berwald let go and stood up, looking down at Matthias with his usual stern expression on the outside but inside with shock.

Matthias looked up at his friend who was stood stock still.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Yer h'art," he muttered. "It's be'ting!" Matthias stood up, looking uncomfortable.

"Yeh f'und yer so'l mate!" It was a statement, not a question. Matthias rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah," he said, slowly. Matthias knew he should have told Berwald but back when he was ten and had first looked into Lukas's eyes and felt his heart begin to thump in his chest, he had wanted to shout it from the rooftops but another boy in their class had done that and it had made Berwald a little depressed so he kept it to himself.

"Who?" Berwald asked. Matthias looked toward his soul mate who had come up to join them.

"Lukas," he replied, quickly. Berwald looked at Lukas and then back at Matthias.

"Yeh met six ye'rs ago," Berwald was hurt that they had left him out of such an important moment. He thought he was their friend. "Why didn't yeh tell ma?"

"It was just after that boy, Jan, found his soul mate," Lukas replied. "Matthias told me that you were down after that. Anyway I wasn't receptive at first. I couldn't believe that I was destined to spend my life with this idiot. But you can't fight fate."

"And I grew on you," Matthias bragged, putting his arm around Lukas.

"Like fungus," he retorted, shrugging Matthias's arm off.

"Yeh c'uld 've told ma lat'r," Berwald was not letting them off the hook. "Yeh n'ver did!"

"The more time passed," Matthias shifted his feet. "The harder it became. I'm sorry, Berwald!"

"Ye'h," Berwald replied. "Ma t'o." He left to nurse his hurt. Emil came up beside Matthias and Lukas.

"You should have told him!"

* * *

_Tino. Aged 15._

Another boy in his class had found his soul mate and was being congratulated by his class mates. Tino gave his congratulations but inside he wondered when would it be his turn. Three quarters of his class had found their other half. Unfortunately Tino was in the quarter that had not.

As he sat looking out of the classroom window, a friend, Eduard Von Block, an Estonian with blonde hair and blue eyes with glasses, came up to him. He knew what was bothering Tino. He had felt the same way until last month when he met his own soul mate, a Ukrainian girl called Katyusha Braginskaga.

"Your turn will come, Tino," Eduard tried to reassure him. Tino was not, not really.

"Some people don't find their soul mate," he said. Eduard shook his head.

"And some people don't find them until they're in their thirties," he pointed out. "You're half that age. Don't give up hope!" Tino smiled at his friend. Maybe he was right.

"So how are things going with Katyusha?" he asked.

"Our parents are discussing times and social occasions for us to be together and get to know each other," Eduard replied. "Although we can't marry until we're at least eighteen."

"You're already discussing marrying!" Tino was surprised. Eduard shrugged.

"She's my soul mate," he replied, matter-of-factly. "It'll happen sooner or later." Tino nodded at the sense of it but he wondered. Would it ever happen for him.

Eduard hoped his friend would feel his heart beat soon.

* * *

_Berwald. Aged 21_

Berwald finished sanding down the chair he had carved, it just needed to be varnished now. It was the last task before he finished for the day. He applied a thin coat and then left it to dry overnight. As he left the workshop, he waved to his boss.

"G'odnight, Lars," he called out as he passed the office.

"Goodnight, Berwald," Lars Van Dike, his Dutch boss, replied. "You do remember the carpentry job at the children's home tomorrow?"

"I'll be th're f'rst thing," Berwald reassured him and left. Lars nodded, secure in the knowledge that Berwald would be there as promised. He was a good worker with a talent with wood, one of the best he had ever had in the Netherlands or here in Sweden.

He had a contract to build a playground for the local orphanage, run by his sister, Emma and he knew he and Berwald would have it done in no time. And with Berwald's talent, it would be done well!

He closed up the warehouse and went home.

* * *

Berwald headed for _The Little Mermaid _inn for a drink before he went home and to meet up with Matthias and Lukas. They owned _The Little Mermaid_ which suited Matthias. Just how much it suited his husband, Lukas, nobody knew.

Matthias and Berwald had made up their disagreement when they were sixteen although it had taken a while. Berwald had felt deeply hurt by Matthias's actions but eventually things began to settle down although they were not as close as they had been before. Matthias had Lukas to consider now and, if Berwald were honest with himself, he was envious.

Emil had gone to Switzerland. He had found his soul mate in a young Germanic girl who had visited Sweden last year with her brother and Vash Zwingli was not about to let his sister Lili stay in a foreign country by herself so Emil tagged along with them when they went home, much to the brother's annoyance but like Lukas said, You can't fight fate.

Berwald had given up on finding his soul mate. He could only take so much of meeting people and feeling nothing in his chest.

When Berwald went into _The Little Mermaid, _Matthias had a beer waiting for him.

"Finally finished, uh!" he said. "Well, you can make a night of it now." Berwald shook his head.

"J'st one," he replied. "I'm up e'rly t'morrow. B'ilding tha playgr'und fer tha orph'nage." Lukas nodded, approvingly.

"The children should have something nice for themselves," he said. "Must be hard to lose your parents." None of them could speak from experience, they all still had their parents.

"Well, we know you'll do a good job," Matthias commented. "No one can work the wood like you can. No splinters to get into little fingers."

"I'll do ma b'st," Berwald replied and drank his beer.

"Tell Tino, Lukas said hello," Lukas said.

"T'no?" Berwald asked.

"Tino Väinämöinen," Lukas replied. "Someone I met a few weeks ago. He's from Finland and works at the orphanage now. He's really good with the kids, particularly that English boy. His family moved here so his father could work but they were caught up in a car accident. The boy was the only one to survive and Tino's the only one he'll speak to."

"P'or boy," Berwald was not a good talker himself so he could relate. He was glad the boy had someone he could talk to.

"So will you tell Tino?"

"I w'll."

* * *

Berwald arrived at the orphanage at eight, almost at the same time as Lars. They were met by Lars's sister, a nice, friendly, cheerful person, just the kind for working with children and she took them to the piece of ground where the playground was going to go.

"Ex'use ma," Berwald asked. " 's T'no Vä'nämö'nen h're?"

"Do you know Tino?" Emma asked.

"Na," he replied. " A fr'end ask ma ta say h'llo."

"I see," she replied. "Well I'm afraid Tino's isn't in today. It's his day off but he'll be back in tomorrow."

" 'kay."

* * *

Berwald held a wooden pole in place while Lars secured it to another to form the frame for a set of swings. Lars fitted massive nuts and bolts to hold the two leaning poles together. They had already made the other A-frame and both were secured into the ground. They hoisted another pole up to rest on top of the A-frames and secured it with more over sized nuts and bolts. Only the swings had to be hung from it now and they would be finished.

"Would you like some lunch?" Emma called out to them from the orphanage kitchen. Lars checked his watch. It was just after noon and he nodded to Berwald.

"Ye'h," Berwald replied. "Thank yeh." And he and Lars followed Emma into the kitchen.

Lunch was sandwiches, cake and coffee with Lars devouring every crumb of his meal and stepping outside to smoke. Berwald was finishing his coffee when he spotted a little head peeking through the doorway to the orphanage itself. When the boy saw Berwald looking, he ducked back behind the door. Berwald waited. The boy looked back again. He was blonde, about seven years old with blue eyes, capped with big eyebrows.

"H'llo," Berwald greeted. The boy did not reply and held on to the door frame.

"I'm B'rwald," he introduced himself. "What's yer n'me?" At first he thought the boy would not answer.

"Peter."

"H'llo, P'ter," Berwald replied. "What 're yeh doing h're?" Peter shrugged.

"I wanted to see you build the playground," he replied. He spoke with an English accent so Berwald reckoned that this was the boy Lukas was talking about.

"Don't yeh want ta play w'th yer fr'ends?" Peter shook his head.

"They make fun of my accent," he muttered. Berwald frowned. He did not like bullies and this boy had been through enough from what he had heard.

"Yeh h've a fr'end call'd T'no, don't yeh?" he asked. Peter looked startled.

"How did you know?"

"A fr'end o' mine's a fr'end o' T'no's," Berwald explained. " 'e mention'd yeh." Peter looked thoughtful and then there was a shout.

"Peter!" Emma called. Peter looked toward the sound of her voice and then back at Berwald.

"Will you be here tomorrow?" he asked. Berwald nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Peter said as Emma came into the doorway. Peter passed by her and ran back into the orphanage.

"You've been honoured," Emma commented. "The only other person he'll speak to is Tino."

"Perh'ps 'f tha oth'rs didn't make fun 'f his acc'nt," Berwald replied.

"Is that what's been going on?" Emma frowned. "Thank you. I'll keep an eye on that."

"N' pr'blem!"

* * *

_Tino. Aged 20_

At eight am next day, Tino strolled into work. He loved his job, loved the kids he watched over, especially Peter. The boy needed love and affection and it was not like Tino had anyone else to spend it on. He had spent fifteen years looking and waiting for his heart to start beating. He was ready to give up.

Tino had trained to work with children and when he qualified he accepted a job with the orphanage in Sweden. It was not uncommon for those who had not found their soul mates in their own country to move to another and try there but Tino did not seem to have any more luck in Sweden either so he would lavish his love and affection on the children who had no one to love them and dedicate his life to being a surrogate parent.

"Tino!" Emma called to him as she approached. "I'm glad you've arrived. I've some news about Peter." Tino panicked.

"He hasn't been hurt, has he?" The Finn blurted. "He is all right?" Emma put her hands up in a 'calm down' gesture.

"He's fine," she reassured. "But it seems he doesn't say much because the other children bully him about the way he talks." Tino frowned.

"Why did he never say?" he pondered. "How did you find out?"

"Peter spoke to the carpenter with my brother and told him," she replied. "He told me."

"He spoke to someone else!"

"Berwald has an unusual way of speaking," Emma said. "Maybe Peter related to that."

"Maybe."

"He was asking about you too," she added. "Something about a friend wanting him to tell you hello. He's out in the grounds now, working on the playground if you want to go and see him."

"I'll do it later," he replied. "We need to get breakfast ready for the children."

* * *

As the day wore on, Tino was kept too busy to go out and meet Berwald. Several children were caught picking on Peter and were punished. Tino had to watch over them while they were told to write an essay on why bullying was wrong and they had to spend the rest of the afternoon in their rooms. Tino hope it would sink in but somehow he doubted it. He missed lunch so Emma brought him a sandwich with coffee and a waffle.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Emma stopped by.

"I'm going to ask my brother if he and Berwald would like some refreshments before they leave for the day," she said. "Can you make them?" Tino got up from his chair, nodding.

"I still need to see the one you called Berwald anyway," he replied and went to the kitchen.

* * *

Berwald and Lars accepted the offer of refreshments. The playground was nearly finished, they just had to put a roof on the playhouse and then the playground would be ready for the children.

Emma bought them into the kitchen where Berwald saw a small man making beverages with his back to them. He had blonde hair but that was all he could see.

"The playground looks wonderful," Emma complimented. "The children are going to love it!"

"J'st one o' two th'ngs left ta do," Berwald replied. "We'll b' fin'shed by t'morrow."

Tino listened to the man speak while he finished making the drinks. Emma could be right. Perhaps Peter was drawn to the man because of his speech. He put milk, cream and sugar on the tray with the drinks and biscuits, carried it to the kitchen table where everyone was sat, put the tray on the table and looked up.

Stern blue eyes met violet.

_Babump, babump, babump!_

As one, Berwald and Tino put their hands over their hearts.

Berwald could not believe it was happening. Just as he had given up ever finding his soul mate, this small blonde with the violet eyes had set his heart beating. His soul mate was cute with a boyish face that made his heart beat even faster. Perhaps fate knew what it was doing, after all.

Tino looked at the tall man with the piercing blue eyes as he continued to feel his beating heart under his hand. He all but decided to forget about finding his soul mate and concentrate on his work and now this tall blonde man had walked into his life and turned it upside down. Fate had finished playing with him and given him what he had been waiting for all his life.

"I'm Tino!" he said, still in a state of shock.

"I'm B'rwald!"

Tino did not know what else to say.

"L'kas says h'llo." Tino gave a little laugh.

Emma and Lars watched the exchange. Lars, confused. Emma, knowingly.

"What's going on?" Lars asked.

"I think I hear the sound of beating hearts," she replied, smiling.

* * *

They married a year later and they adopted Peter, another boy called Sven and settled down to a family life with a dog they named Hanatamago. Tino continued to work at the orphanage and Berwald became a partner in the workshop. The children attended the same school Berwald had.

One day when Peter was ten, he came home in a sullen mood.

"What's wrong, Peter?" Tino asked when Peter came through the door.

"A boy in our class found his soul mate today," he replied. Tino nodded, knowing what was coming.

"Will my heart ever beat?" Peter asked. Tino sat Peter down in one chair and he sat in another.

"Peter," he said, gently. "You're only ten. Some meet their soul mates when they're ten, some earlier, some later. I didn't meet your papa until I was twice your age."

"So I might still find mine?" Peter asked, hopefully.

"Oh yes!" Tino replied. "You just have to have faith."

And at the age of sixteen, Peter found his soul mate. A Latvian boy named Raivis Galante.

**The whole 'Your heart will start beating when you see your soul mate' thing is something I've used in one of my Hetalia Tales stories which isn't up yet. It gave me the idea for this. This is my first time writing Sweden and I hope you can understand his speech, I kept going back over it and rewriting it. **

**I put in the near meeting as a bit of a tease (because I'm evil!) and I wanted to put in a little of Berwald and Tino's feelings as their classmates found their soul mates because they're bound to feel a little envious and perhaps a little depressed and, of course, I had to put Peter in there as well as Hanamatago.**

**And yes, I did called Matthias's inn _The Little Mermaid_ in reference to Hans Christian**** Anderson. **

**I hope you enjoyed this story even though I was getting my butt kicked by writer's block at the time.**

**Hasta le Pasta!**


	2. Love Is Blind

**I decided to do another Heartbeat soul mate story and this one is Gerita. Enjoy!**

**I do not own Hetalia!**

_**Love is Blind**_

Feliciano had long since accepted that he would never feel his heart beat and, although it saddened him, he tried to remain as the bright and bubbly Italian he had been before he lost his sight. A fall from a tree when he was ten had cause damage that prevented signals from the eyes from reaching the brain. The eyes themselves were uninjured but the doctors had said that there was no way to repair the damage.

His grandfather and brother helped him as much as they could, helping him to learn to live with his disability, learning to use Braille and echolocation, although people who did not know wondered why Feli said 'Vee~' all the time. They tried to let Feliciano do as much as he could himself but were ready to help when needed.

When he was fifteen and his friends began to find their soul mates, he fell into depression because he knew that would never happen for him. You found your soul mate when you looked into their eyes and your heart began beating. Feliciano could not look into anyone's eyes and would never find his soul mate which made him wonder what was the point for him. No one ever realised what was going through Feliciano's head because he kept up his happy façade. Things came to a head when he was seventeen when his brother, Lovino came home to find Feliciano a sobbing mess with a knife held to his wrist. Neither his brother nor his grandfather left him alone after that and took him to a therapist.

Doctor Elizaveta Héderváry Edelstein, a pretty brown haired, green eyed Hungarian lady married to her Austrian soul mate, Roderich, worked hard to help Feliciano out of his depression and to give him hope for the future. Feliciano no longer felt the need to end his own life but how can he believe in the future when a soul mate would never happen for him.

Feliciano had realised something. While he would not be able to look into the eyes of others, others would be able to look into his and one could be his soul mate but he could not stand the idea of someone being stuck with someone who's heart could never beat for them so he began to keep his eyes closed around strangers. Not everyone found their soul mates and would sometimes make a life with another who was soul mate-less and he want any soul mate of his to have that chance rather than have the pain of having their heart beat for someone who's heart could never do the same. Only those who had already seen his eyes or had already found their soul mates could see them now because he knew they were not his soul mate so they were safe.

"I'm wondering, Feli," Elizaveta said, during one of their sessions when Feli was twenty. "Are you so sure that you'll never find your soul mate?" Feli shook his head.

"My soul mate might find me, Miss Elizaveta," he replied. Elizaveta always told her patients to call her Elizaveta to create an air of trust. "But I wouldn't know it was them for sure because they could never make my heart beat if I can't see their eyes!"

"Feli," Elizaveta replied. "There is a theory that when we look into our soul mate's eyes, it's not their eyes that make our hearts beat but seeing their souls."

"But I can't see that either," Feli sighed. Elizaveta smiled.

" You don't need eyes to see someone's soul, Feli," she replied. "In fact, judging by sight can often blind us to a person's true worth. You should open your eyes and let your soul mate find you! See what happens!" Feli shook his head.

"And what if I do and my heart doesn't beat?" Feli said. "I can't let someone be stuck with me like that, Miss Elizaveta! It's not fair!" Elizaveta sighed.

"At least, think about it!" she plead. "Oh, Feli! I won't be here for the next few months so a replacement doctor will be taking over while I'm on maternity leave!" Feliciano should have realised that this would happen with Elizaveta being eight months pregnant with her first child but he still looked horrified as he was used to Elizaveta and was scared of the idea of seeing a new doctor.

"Another therapist!" he exclaimed. "Maybe I should wait until you come back, Miss Elizaveta! I don't want to see another doctor, I trust you!" Elizaveta put a comforting hand on Feli's shoulder.

"You can't forgo your sessions for so long, Feli," she replied. "Besides, you can trust my replacement, he's actually Roderich's cousin, Ludwig, and he's a good therapist. Give him a chance, Feli!" Feliciano gave a worried little whine and finally nodded. Elizaveta smiled and gave Feli a hug.

"It'll be fine!" she promised. "You'll see!"

* * *

Doctor Ludwig Beilschmidt had enjoyed the meal that his cousin and his wife had invited him to but now it was time for him and Elizaveta to get down to business. She invited him to their home so they could discuss the patients he would be taking care of while Elizaveta awaited the birth of her baby. A lot of her patients seemed to have issues he had seen before so he did not anticipate any problems.

"Any patients that particularly worry you?" he asked. Elizaveta sighed and produced a file from among the pile in front of them and handed it to him and he opened it.

"Feliciano Vargas!" she replied. "He's been my patient for three years, even since his brother caught him trying to commit suicide. He always appeared to be happy so it came as a shock to his family to discover that he'd been suffering from depression from the age of fifteen from what I've been able to piece together." Ludwig looked over the file and saw one important detail.

"Blind from the age of ten!" he noted. "Is that the root of his depression?" Elizaveta shook her head.

"It's part of it but it's not the root cause," she clarified. "He was apparently fine until he reached the age of fifteen when many of the same age around him began finding their soul mates. He believes he can never find his because he can't see anyone's eyes and he kept his depression a secret for two years until it became too much. Thank goodness his brother returned home when he did!"

"Surely his soul mate can find him!" Ludwig commented. "If his soul mate's heart begins beating, he'll know that that person is his soul mate!" Elizaveta gave a sad smile.

"He thinks it's unfair to tie them to someone who's heart will never beat for them," she replied. "It's sad, really! He's a lovely person and it's so unfair that this happened to him!"

"Bad things happen to good people!" Ludwig said. "Fair has very little to do with it!"

Elizaveta gazed at her cousin by marriage. Ludwig was a handsome blonde, blue eyed man who had yet to find his own soul mate. He looked like an unlikely therapist but he was good at it and she hoped he could get Feliciano to trust him and help him. It would be great if it turned out that Ludwig was Feliciano's soul mate but she could not have everything.

"Feli will need carefully handling," she told him. "I'm the only therapist he's ever visited and he was very reluctant to see another one. He keeps his eyes closed around people he doesn't know or those without their soul mate to avoid 'trapping' his own into a life with a blind man who believes his heart will never beat for them. It's a shame because he has beautiful eyes but he thinks his soul mate would be better off finding someone else without a soul mate to build a life with!"

This Feliciano Vargas was probably trying to be selfless but Ludwig thought it was selfish of him to make such a decision on behalf of his unknown soul mate. He, himself, would give anything to find his soul mate, even one who would never have a beating heart. Still, maybe he should not make such a snap judgement, after all, he had not met the man yet.

* * *

Ludwig had just finished up with one of Elizaveta's patients and he had a few minutes before his next appointment which was with Feliciano Vargas. Ludwig had taken a long look at Feli's file. Parents deceased, one older brother and a grandfather. Elizaveta's notes described a young man who hid a lot of pain behind a bubbly, happy front who increasingly isolated himself visually from everyone around him to prevent his soul mate from finding him. It had to stop before the loneliness drove Feli to suicide again.

There was a knock on the office door and Ludwig called for the visitor to come in. The door opened and a man stood in the doorway. A small man with auburn hair with a big curl growing out on the left and an all-too-bright smile on his face that could fool anyone into thinking he was happy but Ludwig had been forward warned and he could see hints that it was forced. He could not see if the smile reached the man's eyes because his eyes were closed.

'So this is Feliciano Vargas!' Ludwig thought. Feliciano was a beautiful young man who needed help if he was ever going to be a part of the world he was separating himself from.

"Come in, Feliciano," Ludwig said. Elizaveta had told him to use first names with Feli to get him to trust him. Feliciano said 'Vee~' and came forward, almost unerringly, to the couch in front of the chair in which Ludwig sat but remained standing as if waiting for something.

"Please sit down," Ludwig invited and Feliciano sat on the couch. "I'm Doctor Beilschmidt but you can called me Ludwig!"

Feliciano's ears could make out the warmth in Doctor Ludwig's voice in an attempt to be as friendly as possible. He sounded nice and German and Elizaveta seemed to think a lot of him so the least he could do was give him a chance.

"Ciao, Mr Ludwig!" Feliciano greeted. "Miss Elizaveta told me about you. Her husband is your cousin, right?"

"That's right, Feliciano!" Ludwig confirmed. "She's told me about you too but I want you to tell about yourself."

"Well," Feliciano began. "My full name is Feliciano Veneziano Vargas and I'm twenty years old. I have an older fratello called Lovino and a grandfather called Romulus. I've been blind since I was ten and I've been Miss Elizaveta's patient for three years."

"And the reason why you began your sessions with Elizaveta?" Ludwig knew but he want Feliciano to tell him, to trust him with the story. Feli's all too bright smile finally faltered and he lapsed into silence. He did not want to talk about that with Doctor Beilschmidt, he had only just met him and it had taken months for Feli to open up to Elizaveta about it. He did not want to reopen that particular wound.

Ludwig could sense that Feliciano was withdrawing and that pursuing this subject right now might send Feliciano straight out the door so he decided to pull back.

"You don't have to tell me now if you don't want to," Ludwig told him and Feliciano visibly relaxed. "What about why you never open your eyes?" Feli shrugged.

"There's no need to," he replied. "I've no more vision when my eyes are open than when they're closed. Besides, if I keep my eyes open …..." Feliciano trailed off as he realised he was about to reveal more than he wanted to.

"Your soul mate might see them?" It was phrased as a question but Ludwig was telling Feli that he knew about his obsession of making sure he did not tied his potential soul mate to him for life. Feliciano gave a slight whimper.

"I can't see anybody's eyes," he replied, sorrowfully. "My heart will never beat so it's better that my soul mate never finds me and they can make a life with someone else who hasn't got a soul mate."

"Feliciano, you might think that what you're doing is for the best," Ludwig said. "But are you sure that you're doing the right thing? Is it fair to leave your soul mate wondering why they never found you? Even if they make another life for themselves, it will still be someone who's heart doesn't beat for them!"

"But they'll know it's not suppose to," Feliciano replied. "What would it be like if they did find me and they know that my heart should be beating but doesn't? How long before they become bitter about it and grow to resent me?" Ludwig made a note that there was a hidden pessimistic streak in Feliciano's personality. That he believed that his soul mate might ultimately reject him because his lack of sight prevented his heart from beating. Speaking from his own experience, Ludwig would just be glad if he found his soul mate, even if their heart never beat, especially for a reason like Feliciano's.

"You don't know that would happen," Ludwig said. "Your soul mate might just be so happy to find you that they won't care that your heart doesn't beat, especially for such a reason." Feliciano just put his head down.

"I'm too scared to try," he whispered. Ludwig sighed and realised he had a lot of work to do with this young man. He had been left alone too long with the poisonous idea running around in his head and it would take a while to dis-spell it. Life was full of chances and Feliciano had to take that chance if he would ever live a normal life. Believing in the worst case scenario would only hold him back so Ludwig had to encourage whatever Feli had in the way of optimism.

"When you first went blind?" Ludwig asked. "What was the reaction? I mean how did your family and friends feel about your blindness?" Feli looked up and tilted his head as he thought about it.

"Lovi and Nonno did everything they could to help me," he replied. "It was hard for them at first but they wouldn't let me feel sad or down and they helped me learn to do things for myself so I wouldn't have to depend on others so much."

"And your friends?"

"They came to visit me and to cheer me up," Feli said. "But I lost touch with them when I was sent to a school for the blind."

"Did you make new friends at this school?" Ludwig asked.

"Si!" Feli replied, smiling. "I made lots of friends there and I learnt a of skills like echolocation so I don't need a guide dog to move around."

"This echolocation is the 'Vee~' sound you make?" Feliciano nodded.

"These friends at the blind school," Ludwig continued. "Did any of them find their soul mates?" Feliciano's smile slipped again and he nodded.

"S Si," he replied. "A few of them did." Ludwig made another note in Feli's file.

"Did any of them not want to find their soul mate?"

"There was one," Feli admitted. "His name was Vash. He said there was no point in looking for his soul mate if his heart was never going to beat and he wasn't interested in making a life with anyone, anyway. He said he had his little sister to look after and that was enough for him."

Ludwig wrote that down. It looked like a stray comment had kicked off this self-isolation of Feliciano's and it had been going on for five years. This Vash sounded like he was not looking for a partner, a life that might suit him but did not suit a personality like Feliciano.

"Have you kept in contact with the friends who found soul mates?" Ludwig asked. Feli lowered his head again, shaking it and Ludwig suspected that would be the case. Having cut himself from finding his soul mate, it would be painful to be around friends who had not taken the same course.

"Perhaps you should try contacting some of them," Ludwig suggested. He had very little doubt that these friends would still be with their mates and probably happy. It would help Feliciano if he could discover a blind friend who was in a successful relationship with their soul mate. Feliciano shrugged but, maybe he would see if he could get in touch with some of his old friends, just to see what was going on in their lives.

"That's all for this session, Feliciano," Ludwig said, looking at the clock on the wall. "See the secretary about your appointment next week and please! Think about what we've discussed." Feliciano nodded and stood up, knowing the office like the back of his hand and made his way to the door.

"Thank you, Mr Ludwig," Feliciano said, from the door. "I'll see you next week, Arrivederci!" The door closed behind him.

Ludwig sighed. Feliciano was going to be a complicated case, so set he was on keeping away from his soul mate to 'save' them that he was cutting himself and his unknown soul mate off from being happy and Ludwig hoped he could help turn him away from such a path.

Feliciano had been his last patient so he picked up his patient files and left the office to take them to the secretary to refile. As he went into the outer office, he saw Feliciano talking to the young woman as she arranged his next appointment while they chatted and smiled as Feliciano was one of her favourites among the patients to come to the centre. Then Feliciano turned to leave and Ludwig realised that his eyes were open as they accidentally looked into his and he agreed with Elizaveta that Feliciano did have beautiful eyes, the colour of amber gold.

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump!_

Ludwig's hand went to his chest in shock as the unexpected but long-awaited thump pounded in his chest and he looked up in time to see Feliciano 'Vee~'-ing out the door.

_Feliciano's his soul mate!_

Ludwig had a soul mate that, right now, was fighting fate with every fibre of his being.

This had just got a whole lot more complicated.

**Poor Ludwig's got his work cut out for him. Feli doesn't want to find his soul mate and who knows how he'll react when he hears this. This was going to be a one chapter story but it was too long so it became two parts. I'll post Part Two next week!**

**Till then,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	3. Love Is Blind Pt 2

**Ready to see how Feli and Ludwig get on! Here we go!**

**I do not own Hetalia! Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Love is Blind Pt2**_

"This Doctor Beilschmidt could be right," Romulus commented as he, Feli and Lovino eat their evening meal together that night. "You should get in touch with one of your mated friends from school. You can't live your life on what ifs, my boy and you can't live it alone!"

"I'm not alone, Nonno!" Feliciano denied, twirling pasta round his fork. "I have you and Lovi!"

"Feli, I always won't be here," Romulus replied. He knew Feli hated it when he talked like that but it was true. He was quite healthy but he was getting on in years and no one lives forever. "And Lovi will have his own life to lead, eventually." Neither Romulus or Lovino had told Feliciano that Lovino had found his soul mate, an oblivious but happy Spaniard called Antonio Carriedo and they would have to tell Feliciano soon. They were just afraid of how he would react to the idea that Lovino felt the need to hide it from him and feel guilty about it.

"Nonno's right, fratello," Lovino agreed. "Stop being an idiota and find your soul mate!" He desperately wanted to be with his soul mate, although he would never come right out and tell the oblivious idiot but while Feliciano continued with his misguided idea of hiding from his own soul mate, Lovino felt stuck and it made him grumpy. Well, more grumpy than normal. Romulus indicated for Lovino to back off before he pushed Feli too far. Lovino nodded and calmed down.

"I can look some of your old friends on Facebook or Twitter," he offered. Even Feliciano had a Facebook account that Lovino and Romulus helped him with so maybe some of his old school friends had on too. "See how they're getting on now and if they're happy with their soul mates or not. Come on, we'll do it now!" And he dragged Feliciano up to their room. Romulus began clearing the dinner table when there was a knock on the door.

Romulus put the plates he had picked up back on the table and went to the front door. He opened it to find a blonde haired, blue eyed man standing on his doorstep. Ludwig had debated the way to handle this and decided to talk to Feliciano's grandfather, hopefully with Feliciano absent. He wanted the grandfather's advice before he came forward as Feli's soul mate.

"Mr Vargas?" he asked and Romulus nodded. "I'm Doctor Ludwig Beilschmidt. I've just taken over your grandson's care from Doctor Edelstein." Romulus held out his hand for Ludwig to shake.

"Come in, Doctor," Romulus invited. "Feliciano is up in his room with Lovino. I'll call him down for you."

"Actually, I came to see you," Ludwig replied, stepping through the door. "There's been a development and I need your help before I reveal it to Feliciano." Romulus was intrigued and directed Ludwig to the living room. He offered Ludwig a beer which he accepted and they sat down facing each other.

"How can I help you, Doctor?" Romulus asked.

"Please call me Ludwig," Ludwig replied. "As you know, Feliciano had his first session with me today. When it was over, I left my office to take some files back to the secretary and Feliciano was still there. When he turned to leave, his eyes were open and they met mine and ….."

"You're Feli's soul mate!" Romulus said, matter-of-factly. Ludwig nodded.

"It was a shock, I can tell you," he told Romulus. "I've been waiting to find my soul mate for so long and it turns out be to someone who didn't want to find me." Romulus pursed his lips.

"He'll have to know!" he replied. "Feli has been avoiding this for five years but now it's happened, he'll have to face it. He started your heart and he has to take responsibility now. He can't avoid it!"

"I'm just concerned of how he'll react when I tell him," Ludwig admitted. "He was so against this!" Romulus had to admit that he was concerned too! Feli seemed happy but he knew his grandson carried a lot of pain inside and he could be surprisingly bull-headed when he got an idea in his head and this idea of being a burden to his soul mate had had a long time to fester, despite all efforts to convince Feli that hew was wrong. Feli needed a strong hand to steer him in the right direction and fate would not have chosen Ludwig for no reason.

"My advice!" Romulus offered. "Tell him and don't let him push you away because he'll try to, thinking he's doing the right thing. Don't try to force him too much but he needs to accept this. For his sake and his fratello's!"

"His brother's?"

"Lovino's found his own soul mate," Romulus revealed. "But he hasn't told Feli because he's scared of how Feli will react. This happening now could be a blessing in disguise because Feli will have face up to having a soul mate and Lovino will no longer have to hide his!" Ludwig gave a considering hum.

"When do I tell him?"

"No time like the present!"

* * *

Lovino was searching for the names of soul mates of any of Feli's old friends from the blind school he had gone to. It took a while but finally he found someone.

"Here's one," he said. "Alice Kirkland! She was one of your friends, wasn't she?"

"Si," Feliciano replied. "What does it say?"

"Well …."

"Feliciano!"

Their grandfather's voice came up the stairs. Feliciano made his way to the door with the experience of years of moving around a room that was kept the same way all the time and opened the door.

"Si, Nonno!"

"Can you come down for a moment?" Romulus called. Feli hesitated for a moment, wanting to find out what had happened in his old friend's life since they parted company.

"Go on!" Lovino encouraged. "This will still be here. Go see what Nonno wants!" Feli left and made his way down the stairs, knowing the house like the back of his hand. He went into the lounge and said, "Si, Nonno?"

"We have a visitor, Feli," he heard his grandfather say. Feli could hear someone else breathing in the room and turned toward the sound.

"Hello, Feliciano!"

"Mr Ludwig!" Feliciano was surprised to hear Ludwig's voice, having seen him just that day. "What are you doing here?" Romulus turned to Ludwig.

"I'll leave the two of you alone," he said and left the room. Feliciano heard his grandfather's footstep fade in the direction of the door and did not understand why he had left him alone.

"I think we should sit down, Feliciano," Ludwig said, taking Feli's arm and guiding him to a seat, not because he was blind but in a effort to look out for his soul mate and Feli allowed it. Ludwig sat beside him.

"Feliciano, something happened when you were leaving today," Ludwig decided not to mess around with small talk but to get straight to the point before he lose his resolve. He was not looking forward to Feli's reaction. "I came out of the office when you just leaving. Your eyes were open!" Feli was not sure he liked the sound of this.

"S Si," he stammered. Ludwig took Feliciano's hand and put it on his chest.

"I saw into your eyes," Ludwig said, simply as Feliciano felt the heartbeat under his hand.

Feliciano began to breath quickly. This was wrong! He had been guarding against this for five years and he had only just met Ludwig! This was not right!

"No!" he began panicking. "No! This can't be happening! I... I... No! I'm not trapping anyone like this!" Feliciano ripped his hand away from Ludwig's chest, shot up from his chair and tried to run from the room but he moved too fast to judge where everything was and tripped over a stool. He would have fallen if Ludwig had not caught him and brought him back up into his chest but Feliciano began to fight him.

"Let me go!" he wept, trying to push himself away. "I can't do this! I can't condemn you to a life with someone who's heart will never beat! Please let me go!" But Ludwig refused to do what Feliciano demanded and did what Romulus suggested. He would not let Feli push him away and just kept hold of him, physically holding the distraught Italian against his chest.

"It's too late, Feli!" he said as Feliciano continued to struggle. "My hearts beating now! It's beating for you! No one's going to accept a man who's heart beats for someone else! There's only you now!" Feliciano began to cry and Ludwig put his hand on Feli's head and held it against his chest and rested his chin on top of Feli's head while Feli's sobbed out his woes.

"It will be all right, Feliciano!" he said, comfortingly. "I know your heart will never beat but I know that, if it did, it would be beating for me and that's enough. Give us a chance, Feli!" Feli hiccuped and sniffed, trying to absorb what had happened but he felt overwhelmed. It was too much at once and he needed to think.

"I need time!" he insisted. "I never wanted this to happen! Please, give me time!" Ludwig did not wanted to let Feli get away from him but the therapist in him said that he needed to give Feli space or he would break.

"I give you the time you need," he replied, stroking Feliciano's hair. "But remember! You're my soul mate and that won't change. We were chosen for each other for a reason and I promise I'll never resent you for something you can't help!" Feli sniffed and pulled away. This time, Ludwig let him go and Feli stepped away.

"Give me until our next appointment," Feliciano begged. "I promise I'll give you an answer then." Ludwig held out his hand and cupped Feli's cheek, wiping the tears away with his thumb.

"All right," he agreed, reluctantly. He had the feeling that if he pushed Feliciano too far, he would lose him. "Just don't make a decision that could make us both unhappy!" Feliciano wiped his eyes and left the room. Watching his soul mate walk away from him was the hardest thing Ludwig had ever had to do.

"You handled that well, boy," Romulus said coming back into the room.

"You were listening!"

"You didn't think I would be far away, did you," Romulus replied. "If you tried to force Feli to agree with you, he'd have run. I know my grandson! He'll make the right choice!" Ludwig wished he was so sure but he did not know Feli that well.

"I hope so!"

* * *

Feliciano drifted back up the stairs to his room in a haze of disbelief of how his life had suddenly turned upside down in a matter of minutes. Lovino turned round when the bedroom door opened to see his little fratello come in and knew immediately that something was amiss. Feli's face was white and his eyes were red rimmed.

"What's wrong with you, idiota?"

"Mr Ludwig," Feli sniffed. "He came and said he saw my eyes and his heart started beating!" Lovino stared at Feli.

"You've found your soul mate!" he blurted. "He's German, isn't he? Aren't they potato loving bastards?" Fresh beads of moisture fell from Feli's eyes.

"I didn't want him to find me," he said, tearfully. "Now he's stuck with me, a blind man with a unbeating heart. I've trapped him!" Lovino lost patience with his fratello's melodramatics.

"Don't be stupid!" Lovino snorted. "I doubt he feels trapped, probably thankful he's found you! You really think you being blind would make your soul mate reject you! Come here, idiota!" Feliciano made his way over to Lovino who pulled him down to sit beside him in front of his laptop.

"Here's one of your friends," he read off the screen. "You remember Alice Kirkland, don't you?"

"Si," Feliciano replied. "She was a good friend."

"Well, she and her soul mate got married," Lovino said, staring at the information. "She's Alice Bonnefoy now. And expecting her first child! She and her husband seem very happy!" Feliciano looked thoughtful.

"And there's Yao Wang!" Lovi continued. "He and his soul mate, Ivan Braginski have been together for four years and getting married this year. And there's another! And another! Everyone I've found up to now is happy with their soul mates. I haven't found everyone but I've found enough!" Feliciano was lost in thought. Would it be all right? Could it work for him as it seemed to have worked for his old school friends?

"Give your soul mate a chance!" Lovino ordered. "Even if he is a Potato Bastard!"

* * *

_A week later..._

Ludwig nervously awaited his next appointment and he had been nervous all day. He had managed to hide it from his other patients but now he was waiting for Feliciano to arrive and his nervousness was on full display. What would he say? What decision had he made about their future?

Ludwig had done what Feli asked and gave him time but there had been times that he was ready to march back to Feli's house and just take his soul mate home with him but his irresponsible older brother, Gilbert told him not to be an unawesome idiot and let Feli had his space. Ludwig was just glad their discussion took place over the phone from Canada otherwise he would be in for non-stop ribbing, twenty-four-seven. But it had been a long week of anticipation and apprehension, alone with his beating heart.

His thoughts were disturbed by a knock on the door and he tried to compose himself before calling out, "Come in!"

The door opened slowly and Feliciano stood there, his eyes opened now, beautiful but staring at seemly nothing. He just stood in the doorway making no attempt to move beyond it.

"Come in, Feli," Ludwig said, softly. Feli looked like he had not slept much and it hurt Ludwig to think of his soul mate suffering as much as he had this last week. Feli shuffled forward, closed the door behind him and 'Vee~'ed. He made his way to the couch and sat down without being told to but he sat on the edge, stiff as a board.

Neither of them said anything for a moment and it was an awkward silence. Ludwig wanted Feli to tell him his decision but was afraid to ask. Feli, on the other hand, did not know how to start or how to phrase what he was going to say. He had spent the week looking up other old friends from the blind school to see how their lives were like now and it was encouraging but he had lived with this fear for five years and it was hard letting it go but his hand had been forced by fate.

"Ludwig …..," he began.

"Yes, Feli!"

"I didn't want this to happen," he admitted. "You know that but it has and now we have no choice but to see it through. And you're right! No one will want a mate who's heart is beating for someone else so I have no choice but to accept you as my soul mate!"

Ludwig frowned. This was not what he wanted, for Feli to feel he had to agree. Feli always said he did not want to trap anyone but it felt, to Ludwig, like Feli was the one trapped and he now knew how Feli felt

"Feli, I don't want you to feel like you have to do this," he replied. "I want you to do this because you want to, otherwise we're doomed to failure." Ludwig was sure that, while he would never regret it, Feli would grow to resent the situation and him and might, one day, walk away.

"Let's compromise," Ludwig suggested. "Let's us try for a little while to see how things work. No commitment. If it's not working, we walk away! What do you say?"

This was the biggest gamble Ludwig had ever taken because he would have to find a way to convince Feli that they could be happy together but, if he did not succeed, Feli could still leave but at least, this way, Feli would not hate him at the end of it all.

But if Feli did walked away, it might very well destroy him.

* * *

Feliciano was stunned into silence by Ludwig's proposal. He felt sure Ludwig would accept what he had decided and not let him go but, instead, Ludwig was giving Feli a chance to let him go if it did not work out. He had resigned himself to a life with a mate that might slowly grow to hate him but... This could work! A trial period might help them both. Feli, to determine if things would work, Ludwig, to see if they would not.

Feli felt like he had room to breathe again and nodded.

"I think that's a good idea," he agreed. "How long for?"

"Let's give it a few months for a start," Ludwig replied, relieved that Feli was agreeing to what he suggested. "See how it goes!" Feliciano nodded and Ludwig finally smiled. It would give him time to work on Feli and make him see that, not only could it work, they could be very happy together.

As he pulled Feli into his arms and hugged him, he decided that his little Italian soul mate would not have a chance, if Ludwig had anything to do with it!

**This is turning out longer that I'd thought it would. Oh well! Ludwig has a few months to convince Feliciano that they can make it as soul mates but he is determined and how will Feliciano react when he finds out that his fratello found his soul mate but kept it secret from him. Poor Feli will feel so guilty :'(**

**To takuya – Poor Feli feels that his heart can't be touched and it seems impossible for him but, never fear! There just might be a happy ending :)**

**To themusicalcat – Poor Feli thought he was doing what was best for his soul mate but it's too late for that now. Luckily, Ludwig's managed to agree to give him a chance so fingers crossed, eh! X X**

**To Normandy**** – Feli's too busy trying to prevent making others unhappy to worry about his own happiness (not working, I know! D:) Let's hope Ludwig can convince him of the error of his ways!**

**To Seele Esser Deutsch**** – NO! NO! DON'T DIE! YOU'LL MISS THE REST OF THE STORY! DX**

**To Ariaprincess**** – Well, hopefully, happier times around the corner for Feliciano and Ludwig. :) And here's your update!**

**And so Feliciano and Ludwig's courtship begins! There'll be encouragement from everyone and, maybe, just maybe there'll be light at the end of the tunnel.**

**Till then Hasta la Pasta!**

**Goodbye to David Bowie and Alan Rickman! The Starman and the Wizard! You'll be sadly missed by us all :'(**


	4. Love Is Blind Pt 3

**I've had real trouble with this chapter, this week. I had to rewrite it three times because it just did not save! DX I was ready to throw my laptop out of the window but I persevered and here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya, not me! (no matter how much I wish it did!)**

_**Heartbeat Love Is Blind Pt 3**_

It was decided that it would be best for Feliciano to move in with Ludwig for the trial period. Lovino was not very happy about it but Romulus insisted that the new soul mates needed time alone together. But that did not mean that Lovino had to like it!

"You better take care of my fratello, Potato Bastard!" he warned, carrying Feliciano's suitcases down the stairs. He had been helping Feliciano to pack some clothes and personal items, other things would be collected later.

Ludwig arrived at the diagnosis that Lovino had issues with new people or, as his Japanese friend, Kiku Honda would say, he was a tsundere!

"I promise, nothing will happen to him," Ludwig swore as Romulus pulled his youngest grandson into a hug.

"I'm so happy for you, my boy!" he said with a tear in his eye and then whispered in Feliciano's ear. "You wouldn't have found your soul mate if you weren't meant to. Ludwig seems happy to have found you, don't throw this chance away!"

"I'll try not to, Nonno," Feliciano whispered back and his grandfather let him go. Ludwig took the suitcases from Lovino who reluctantly released them.

"Hurt him and I'll hunt you down, jerk!" Lovino groused and followed his grandfather as he lead Feliciano outside to Ludwig's car, followed by Ludwig. While Ludwig put Feliciano's luggage in the boot, Romulus opened the passenger door and Feli got in. Romulus hugged him one last time.

"Arrivederci, Feli!" He said and Lovino looked at Feli over his grandfather's shoulder.

"If the bastard makes you miserable," he said. "Let me know and I'll come get you!" Romulus gave him a not-too-gentle nudge with his elbow to shut him up. Ludwig got into the driver's side while Romulus shut Feli's door as Ludwig started the car and pulled away, looking back in the rear view mirror at Romulus waving happily and Lovino scowling while flipping him off. He had such a charming future brother-in-law!

Feliciano sat in silence as he contemplated the unknown future he was being driven to!

* * *

Feliciano felt the road rumbling under the wheels of Ludwig's car as he was driven to a new and unknown life which was a little frightening for him, even if it could prove to be temporary. All his life and especially since he lost his sight, he had always had his grandfather and, apart from when Lovino went to college, his fratello was never far away either but now he was without both and with the soul mate he had tried to avoid finding. Ludwig was also an unknown factor, Feli had only known him for a week so he had no idea what Ludwig was like when he was not being a therapist. Was he as nice as he seemed or was he actually mean? Even cruel? Why had he agreed to this? It was too late now!

Ludwig gave his passenger a sideways look and wondered what was going through Feli's head. He could guess that Feli would be apprehensive to face a situation he had put so much effort into avoiding and he could not help but feel a twinge of anger that Feliciano had selfishly made a decision about them that he was entitled to be apart of, after all, they were soul mates and all decisions about their life was for both of them to make, no matter how much Feli thought he was sparing Ludwig future heartache.

Then Ludwig began to wonder if his lack of heartbeat was the only thing that was bothering Feliciano. Feli might believe that was why he had resisted looking for Ludwig and that might be a big part of it but Ludwig was thinking about Feli's life as a whole. Blind from the age of ten, the only people who had been permanently in his life were his grandfather and brother. Finding a soul mate was a massive upheaval, albeit an often welcome one, for a sighted person but, for a blind person, it meant going into, not only a new life, but a new life they could not see which must be frightening for them.

So maybe Feliciano's resistance was being fed by a sub-conscious fear of the unknown. If that was the case then Ludwig felt more optimistic about his chances of persuading Feliciano that they could work. By agreeing to the compromise, Feliciano had taken the first step to overcoming that fear and Ludwig vowed that, with his help, Feliciano would eventually crush it.

* * *

"We're here!" Ludwig's voice cut across Feliciano's train of thought as he felt the car stop. They had not spoken at all on the journey as Feliciano had been lost in his own world while Ludwig felt that Feli needed his space. Ludwig knew they would have to talk but he would get Feli settled first.

Feli hear Ludwig's door open and felt the car shift as Ludwig climbed out and the door shut after him. Footsteps sounded around the car and came to Feli's door and he felt cool air touch his skin as the door opened and Ludwig's hand gently took his arm.

"I lead you to the house," he said, softly as Feliciano swung his legs out of the door and climbed out. It reminded him of when he first lost his sight and he had to be guided everywhere and he hated it but until he learnt the area and where things were, he would have to allow it. Ludwig steered his Italian soul mate into the three story house that was Ludwig and his brother, Gilbert's home.

Ludwig opened the front door and lead Feliciano in, shutting the door behind them and taking him to the sitting room and leading him to a seat.

"Stay here!" Ludwig said. It would not do for Feli to wander around a house he did not know and potentially hurt himself. "I'll be back soon. I'm just going to get your luggage out of the car!" Feli nodded and Ludwig gave Feli's arm a reassuring squeeze before leaving Feli to get a feel for the house.

The house smelt like it had been cleaned recently, possible before Ludwig came to collect him. It was sweet that Ludwig would want his house to be nice for him, even if he could not see it. Then a new smell came in and Feli knew what it was even before he heard the growl.

* * *

After Ludwig returned with Feli's suitcase and had put them in the bedroom, he came back to find his German Shepherd, Berlitz, growling at the stranger in the sitting room and Feliciano clinging to the arms of the chair that Ludwig sat him in with fright.

"Berlitz!" he ordered. "Unten, junge! _(Down, boy!)_" Berlitz looked at his master and stopped growling, lying down on the floor. Feliciano was so glad to hear Ludwig's voice and he heard his footsteps come toward him and felt his warm hand cover one of his.

"I'm sorry!" he apologised. "I forgot to tell you about Berlitz. He only growled at you because you're in my house and he doesn't know you. Berlitz, Ferse! _(Heel!)_" Berlitz came to sit at his master's feet and Ludwig took Feli's hand and held it out for Berlitz to smell. Berlitz sniffed at Feli's fingers, decided that if his master approved of this person then he would too and pushed his nose under Feliciano's hand to be petted.

Feliciano felt the soft fur under his hand and warily petted the dog, becoming less frightened when the dog did not turn round and bite him. Then he felt two paws on his knees and he laughed when a big doggy tongue licked him across the face.

Ludwig was happy that Berlitz seem to like Feli almost right away, he did not always take to strangers and he petted Berlitz to reward him. But now he and Feli needed to talk and Berlitz would be in the way.

"Gen spielen! _(Go play!)_" he ordered and Berlitz ran out of the room. Ludwig knelt down beside Feli's chair and took his hand again.

"Feli," he began and hesitated for a moment. "I know this must be frightening for you but I'm here for you and we'll go slowly and take things as they come. Do you have any questions?" Feliciano's apprehension eased a little at Ludwig's words and the soft tone in his voice but he had one immediate concern.

"Where will I be sleeping?" he asked. As his soul mate, Ludwig might want Feliciano to sleep in his bed but Feli was not comfortable with that just yet. It was not just the suddenness of finding Ludwig, he was a complete innocent, having resisted all romantic encounters and the idea of sleeping with someone in an intimate setting left him feeling nervous and embarrassed.

Ludwig could hear the nerves in Feli's voice and he had given it some thought before going to collect Feli. Feli would be uncomfortable if they were in the same bed but putting him in his own room was out of the question until he knew the house. He hoped Feli would accept the compromise he had come up with.

"You'll be in my room with me," he replied and Feli immediately stiffened. "You don't know the house well enough for you to be in your own room, right now. However..." Ludwig continued. "... we'll be in separate beds for now. We need to get to know each other before we think about anything more intimate. Is that all right with you?"

Feliciano was surprised that Ludwig had considered sleeping arrangements before bringing him into his home and, while the arrangements were not ideal, Feliciano had not looked forward to having to wait in his room every morning for Ludwig to come get him to take him around the house and the fact he would have his own bed helped.

"Si," he nodded. Ludwig smiled and cupped Feliciano's cheek.

"It will be all right. Feli," he promised. Feli's skin felt soft under his hand and he was tempted to kiss Feli's even softer looking lips but he resisted. He did not want to push Feliciano too far, too soon.

"Let's get you unpacked," he said instead.

* * *

Feliciano had not brought a great deal with him so the unpacking was done fairly quickly. Ludwig had cleared a set of drawers for Feli's use and Ludwig was amazed that Feli always knew what he had pulled out of his suitcase and he put his underwear in the top drawer, tops in the second and his pants in the bottom. Shoes he place just under the bed he would be sleeping in. Ludwig offered to unpack for him but Feliciano declined and did it himself. Ludwig realised he did that so he knew what was where.

Then Ludwig took Feli on a tour of the house and Feli began to take note of the layout. Ludwig's room had an on-suite but there was another bathroom on one side and a guest room on the other. Another set of stairs went up to the second floor where there was another bathroom, another guest room and a bedroom belonging to Ludwig's brother, Gilbert.

Downstairs, beside the sitting room, was the hallway, the kitchen and the dining room. There was also the basement which double as a utility room with a washing machine and dryer. Feli thought that he would be able to memorise the layout in a few days. Then he would get Ludwig to take him out so he could get used to the local area.

It was time for dinner and Feli sat at the kitchen table while Ludwig bustled around, making bockwurst and potatoes and Feli could smell the food cooking. He would prefer a plate of pasta but he doubted Ludwig had the ingredients but there would be time for that later.

"Would you like a beer?" Ludwig asked and Feli nodded. He needed something to help calm his nerves and he would have like wine but he did not know if Ludwig drank wine and he did not want to embarrass him by asking for something he could not provide. Ludwig opened a bottle of beer, poured it into a glass for Feli and put the glass into his hand.

"Grazie!" Feli thanked him and took a sip while Ludwig began dishing out the food.

"It's ready!" he announced and put Feli's plate down in front of him. "Be careful, the plate is hot!" Feli put his hands of either side of the table and brought them in until he felt the knife and fork on either side of the plate and picked them up then he used the knife and fork to find the plate in the same way. He stabbed the bockwurst with the fork and cut into it then put the piece in his mouth and chewed.

Ludwig began his own meal and savoured each mouthful. Bockwurst was his favourite which was why he made it for Feli but he wondered now if, perhaps, Feli might have liked something else.

"What's your favourite food, Feli?" he asked so he could make it for him next time.

"Oh, pasta!" Feli replied, enthusiastically. "With a good Italian wine!" Ludwig was a little disappointed with himself that he had not ask earlier.

"I'm sorry I didn't make that for your first meal in my home," he said.

"No, this is good!" Feli reassured him, spearing a potato and putting it in his mouth.

"I guess we have a lot to learn about each other," Ludwig commented as Feli chewed. Feli swallowed and hummed. Ludwig seemed to want to do everything he could to make Feli happy and Feli decided that it was time he reciprocated.

"Tell me about your family," he said, feeling it was a good way to get to know Ludwig. "You know about mine but I don't know much about yours." Ludwig took a sip of his own beer and put the glass down.

"Like you, my parents are dead," he replied. "There's only me and my older brother, Gilbert who's in Canada right now, skiing. He'll be there another week."

"And what's he like?" Feli asked.

"Loud, obnoxious, always up to something," Ludwig said. "Thinks he's awesome and says so every other minute. I sometimes think that _I _should have been the older brother because, at times, it's like dealing with a seven year old. An immature one!" Feliciano giggled at Ludwig's description of his older sibling.

"I bet you still love him though, right?" he said. Ludwig smiled.

"Ja," he admitted. "He has his good points! He's there when you really need him and he's a hard worker when motivated. And I know he cares so I could do worse for a brother!"

"Lovino's like that," Feli replied. "I know you didn't get the best impression of him but he's wary around new people. He made some friends in school but they only wanted things from him. When he had nothing else they wanted, they turned away from him and abandoned him so now he doesn't trust anyone easily. The only people who can really get close to him now are me and Grandpa."

Ludwig thought about what Romulus had told him about Lovino finding his soul mate but decided that it was up to Lovino to tell Feli that news. They finished their meals and Ludwig began to wash the dishes. Feli insisted on drying them but broke a plate when he went to put it down because he was not used to the kitchen and where the work surfaces were and became upset. Ludwig took him to the sitting room to calm him down and told him it was all right then he finished the dishes and swept away the broken plate.

It seemed such a little thing to get upset over but Ludwig realised that it had been a long, emotional day for Feli, for both of them, really, and it was not over yet.

Because, despite the separate beds, retiring for the night was going to be really awkward.

* * *

Ludwig kept his back to Feli as he dressed for bed, resisting the urge to look round at his soul mate because this was awkward as it was but when Ludwig finally turned round, Feli was still stood be his bed, fully dressed.

"What's wrong, Feli?" he asked. "Can't find your sleepwear?" Ludwig had no idea what Feli wore to bed, not seeing Feli unpack anything but it had to be somewhere.

"Well," Feli replied and then went bright red. "Hmm...you see...er..." And he blushed even harder and squeezed his eyes tight.

"I don't have any sleepwear!" he blurted. "I don't wear anything to bed!"

This time Ludwig went red at the thought of his soul mate sleeping in the next bed naked and all kinds of scenarios went through his mind, all M-rated and had pulled his mind out of the gutter if he was going to get any sleep tonight. He went to one of his drawers and pulled out a pair of sleeping pants and put them into Feli's hands.

"You can borrow these," he said. "They'll be big on you but it's better than nothing. We'll sort out something else for tomorrow night." Ludwig steered Feli toward the en-suite bathroom to change because he was not sure he could keep his back to Feli for a second time.

A few minutes later, Feli opened the door and came out, carrying the clothes he had taken off, the string on the sleeping pants pulled around his waist and the legs trailing on the floor, his chest bare to Ludwig's vision. Not very muscular but what he had was toned and defined with olive tanned skin that made Ludwig's mouth go dry.

Ludwig guided Feli back to the bed and took his clothes from him, dropping them into the laundry basket as Feli climbed into bed. Ludwig went to his own bed and climbed in, aware of the Italian man in the next bed, despite lying down with his back to Feli.

"Buona Notte, Ludwig," Feli called to him.

"Guten Nacht!" Ludwig replied and turned off the bedside light. As he tried to sleep, he could hear Feli toss and turn and, as he turned to see if Feli was all right, there was movement under Feli's blankets and then he tossed the sleeping pants out of the bed. Then he finally settled down.

Ludwig turned back and gave a sigh. It was going to be a long night!

* * *

It was late next morning and both Ludwig and Feli was still asleep. Feli was naturally a late riser and Ludwig! Well, he had not managed to fall asleep until the small hours of the morning and was exhausted but he soon woke up when the bedroom door burst open, causing Feli to scream in fright and fall out of bed and Ludwig sat upright in his.

"Hello, Bro-ha! Kesesese!" came a voice Ludwig had last heard on the phone from Canada. "Happy to see the Awesome Me!"

Ludwig groaned. Gilbert was not due back for a week, what was he doing here?

**So that was Ludwig and Feli's first day together and a rude awaking on the second. I'll let you guess why Gil's home early! ;)**

**To Seele Esser Deutsch**** – It's not just you! Ludwig thought it was a little selfish, even before he met Feli. :( And it would be a little selfish if that was the true cause but it could be fear of change that's truly holding him back, in which case, Feli has taken a leap of faith but you're right! He should be happy he's found his soul mate, I know I would be! :)**

**To Normandy**** – Don't worry! If Ludwig has anything to do with it, Feli WILL be happy! :D**

**To wanderingintrovert**** – If you like stories about Feli's echolocation, try my story Vee! (total shameless story promotion ;P) Hope you continue to enjoy this story! :)**

**To Neko Rockbell**** – So happy! :D Hope you love the rest!**

**Ludwig has his work cut out and now his brother had shown up. How this affects Ludwig courting Feli remains to be seen but you can bet he'll help whether Ludwig wants him to or not. Let see how they get on!**

**Til next time,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	5. Love Is Blind Pt 4

**Nothing much to say except Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Love Is Blind pt 4**_

Ludwig stared at his older, white-haired brother for a dazed moment, his mind struggling to reach a fully awake state while Gilbert looked round at the naked Italian in a heap on the floor.

"Whoa, bruder!" he smirked, his red eyes glimmering with mischief. "Finally getting some action!" Feliciano cried out with embarrassment and blindly scrabbled about to find the bed again. When his hand found it, he dove, red-faced, back into it and hid beneath the duvet.

"Why is he in a different bed, Luddy! You need pointers on what to do with a soul mate?" a pillow, thrown from Ludwig's direction, hit Gil right in the face.

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, GIL!" Ludwig shouted. "GET OUT!" What was he doing here? He was supposed to be away for another week.

"Ja, okay," Gil replied, not at all bothered at getting a face full of pillow. "I'll be downstairs, waiting. Don't be long, I've got awesome news!" He closed the door behind him.

"He's gone, Feliciano," Ludwig said. "You can come out now!" Feliciano's face came from under the duvet, still red from embarrassment and cocooned the duvet around himself as he wished he had kept the sleeping pants on. He had been unable to sleep in them, being used to wearing nothing so he discarded them when he thought Ludwig was asleep but he had never expected to be rudely awakened for his sleep by the sound of a door crashing open and a loud German calling himself awesome, sending him crashing out of bed in all his naked glory.

And that loud German was waiting downstairs, probably thinking all kinds of things about what happened last night, even though nothing did. How could he go down when the man was still there!

"Ignore my bruder," Ludwig told him, realising what was bothering Feli. "He's an idiot. He means no harm but there's no filter on his mouth." Feliciano whimpered.

"What did he think happened last night?" he whispered. Ludwig got out of his bed and went to Feli's and put a comforting arm around him.

"He'll think nothing!" he said, adamantly. "Get dressed and I'll go talk to him. When he understands the situation, I'll come get you. Don't worry!" He placed a comforting kiss on Feli's cheek and left the room, still in his sleepwear while Feli took a fortifying breath and got out of bed, went to the chest of drawers that he had memorised the way to and began pulling out clothes.

* * *

An irritated Ludwig marched down the stairs, very upset with his brother. Feli had not needed that embarrassing shock and Gil was going to realise that his brother was very upset with his behaviour.

As he approached his sitting room, he could hear voices, speaking. One was too quiet for him to make out but his brother's was loud and clear.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Birdie! I always wake Bruder up like that!" (Quiet muttering)

"Well, no, not when he's had his soul mate in his room." (More muttering)

"You really think he'll be mad?" Ludwig flung the door open.

"Try furious, bruder!" he fumed. "Do you have any idea what you've done? I only brought Feli here yesterday and our relationship is far from established yet. Do you have any idea how embarrassed he feels about that little scene upstairs!" Gil's pale skin blushed bright pink.

"Sorry, bruder!" he apologised. "I didn't know he was there!"

"And I've warned you about bursting into my room before!"

"I did warn you, Gil," a quiet Canadian voice commented and Ludwig turned to the other person that he had not noticed in the room. The man was blonde with a stray curling strand and had violet eyes. He might have been taller then he appeared as he seemed to hunch down a little with shyness.

"Ah, bruder," Gil said, moving over to the man's side. "You're not the only one who struck awesome gold! I'd like to introduce my soul mate, Matthew Williams! I call him Birdie!" Gilbert put his arm around the blushing Canadian.

"Why?" Ludwig asked. This time, Gil blushed and fidgeted.

"I was part of the mountain rescue helicopter team that was deployed to rescue him," Matthew replied. "Ever since then he's called me Birdie."

"Why did he need rescuing?"

"I kinda got unawesomely stuck on a ledge," Gil replied. "Birdie was flown in on the hoist to get me off and our eyes met and our hearts began beating!"

"He'd climbed up to the ledge for a bet," Matthew clarified. "He was absolutely drunk!" Ludwig huffed in exasperation.

"Idiot!"

"Any way, what about your soul mate?" Gil asked. "If you got him here, you must have got round him somehow. You said he was dead set against it!"

"He decided he didn't have a choice but to be with me," Ludwig replied, with a hint of unhappiness. "I told him we would have a trial period and, if it didn't work, he could walk away!" Gilbert was shocked.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I want Feliciano to stay because he wants to," Ludwig said. "I don't want him to feel trapped into staying with me and growing to hate me!" Matthew wondered if this Feliciano knew just what kind of man his soul mate was, to risk his future for his soul mate's happiness and Matthew wondered how he could help. Matthew did know of one situation that was, in his opinion, just as difficult, if not harder than Feli and Ludwig's.

"I'm going to fetch Feli down," Ludwig said. "Just be careful what you say when you see him. This is all new and confusing for him." With that word of warning, Ludwig left the room and went back upstairs.

* * *

Feliciano was nervous as Ludwig lead him down the stairs to the guests that were waiting to meet him, one of whom was witness to that embarrassing scene upstairs but Ludwig reassured him that Gil would behave himself and was sorry for what happened but he was still a little anxious.

When he was lead into the room, he could detected the other person in the room by the smell of pancakes that they had obviously eaten for breakfast. Gil was harder to detect by scent as he liked the same food and drink as Ludwig although they wore different aftershave, either that or what Gil was wearing was a gift, possibly from his new soul mate.

"Gilbert, Matthew," he heard Ludwig say. "This is Feliciano Vargas, my soul mate! Feliciano, this is Gilbert, my bruder and his soul mate, Matthew Williams."

"Ciao," Feliciano said, shyly. He heard footsteps come up to him and the smell of pancakes get stronger and felt the person gently take his hand to shake it.

"Nice to meet you, Feliciano," a quiet Canadian voice replied. He sounded nice and his voice had a calming effect on Feli. He hoped that they would be good friends.

"Guten tag, Feli!" the Germanic voice from before sounded. "Sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'm always doing that kind of thing to Luddy because it's fun to wind him up!" Ludwig gave a growl.

"Gilbert!" he warned. Feli gave his arm a squeeze.

"It's okay, Ludwig," he assured him. "Let's just start again, shall we?"

"Good idea!" Matthew declared. "Gil, why don't you and Ludwig take our luggage upstairs while I keep Feliciano company? See if I can convince him you're not the idiot you seem to be!" Feli giggled at that while Gilbert sighed.

"I have a soul mate who fails to recognise my awesomeness," he whined as he went to see to the suitcases.

"You'll be all right?" Ludwig asked Feli.

"Si," he replied. He instinctively knew he could trust Matthew and he was an oasis of calm in a very turbulent time. "You go help your fratello!" And he heard Ludwig leave the room.

"Let's sit down, shall we?" Matthew said, taking Feli's arm and lead him to a sofa and they sat down together.

"So how did you and Ludwig meet?" Matthew asked.

"He became my therapist when my usual one went on maternity leave," Feli replied. "I made the mistake of opening my eyes when I was still at the office and he saw them."

"Why was it that a mistake?" Matthew said. "You found your soul mate, that could never be a mistake!" Feli's head went down.

"My heart will never beat for him," he told Matthew. "I thought he would be better off without a mate who could not do that for him." He could hear Matthew hum as if mulling over what Feli had told him.

"I understand why you might feel that way, Feliciano," Matthew commiserated. "But it's not the answer. Nor is this trial period that Ludwig mentioned! Ludwig's heart beats for you, you know that, eh?" Feli nodded.

"Si," he replied.

"So you know that, if you could see Ludwig's eyes, your heart would be beating too, right?" Again Feli nodded.

"Do you think Ludwig doesn't know that as well?" Matthew pointed out. "Despite your heart not beating, Ludwig knows he's your soul mate! Some people are not so lucky!" Feli's head came up.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Matthew considered for a moment whether or not he should tell this story and decided it might help if Feliciano knew that some people had it a little harder.

"I have a younger brother," Matthew replied. "Only by a year. He met his soul mate when he was about three but, by the time our parents realised that, Alfred had been separated from him and they couldn't find him again!"

"You mean that your brother met his soul mate …..." Feli began.

"...But doesn't know who he is or where he is," Matthew completed.

"How do you know it's a he?" Feli asked.

"Alfred was with a boy when our parents collected him," Matthew replied. "It was in an airport and Alfred wandered off while we were waiting for our luggage. From that time on, Alfred had an imaginary friend called Artie and his therapist says it's a reaction from being separated from his soul mate. Mama and Papa felt so guilty about it!" As reliant as Feli was on his hearing, he caught a very slight resentful strain in Matthew's voice and figured that Matthew's parents had slightly favoured their younger son over Matthew, possible in compensation the loss of his younger brother's soul mate but he was also sympathetic to his brother's situation.

He also remembered what Ludwig said about no one wanting anyone who's heart beat for someone else. How had it felt for Alfred when everybody was looking for their soul mate and no one looked in his direction, knowing there was no possible way for him to be theirs and he faced a life alone, he must have felt so lonely! And what of his soul mate, facing the same thing, knowing that his soul mate was out there but they had no way of finding them!

Matthew wiped away from Feliciano's cheek, the tear he had wept for two lonely people he had never met.

"You and Ludwig are soul mates," Matthew said, adamantly. "Forget about this 'trial period' and forget about beating hearts, that's just fate's way of telling us that we've found each other. Concentrate on getting to know each other and learning to live together! We only get one soul mate, be glad you have yours!" Then Feli heard Gil and Ludwig come back into the room.

"All done!" Gil said. "Shall we go and unpack!" Matthew nodded and got up, leaving behind an Italian with a lot to think about!

* * *

Gil had given Ludwig some advice about how to woo Feliciano which involved doing normal things that couples do, like going on dates and such so he looked on the net for a good local Italian restaurant and made a reservation for the next day after he finished work. His one concern was who would look after Feli while he was out for the day and Matthew and Gil volunteered to keep Feli company and take him with them to shop for groceries. Ludwig was not so sure about that but Feli wanted to get out to get used to the locale and, while Gil could act the idiot at times, he promised to watch out for Feli carefully and Matthew seemed responsible and reliable so Ludwig agreed and, while he was away, Feli went for his first walk in Ludwig's neighbourhood.

Gil had wanted to take the car but, hearing that the store was not far, Feli wanted to go on foot so he could begin to memorise the way and eventually be able to make his own way to the store. As they walked the distance, Gil became confused at the sound Feli kept making.

"Why do you say Vee~ all the time, Feli?" he asked. Feli turned his head in the direction.

"It's my echolocation," he replied. "It's like sonar. I make the sound and if there's something near me, it echoes back so I can tell what's around me. If I take note of what's on the way to the store, I can eventually find my own way there." Gil was impressed.

"That's awesome!" he exclaimed. "We'll help you learn the way, won't we, Birdie!" Matthew smiled.

"Of course, we will," he promised and Feli smiled as they went on their way, impressing them further with the fact that, not only could he tell there was something close, most of the time he could tell them what it was.

They reached the store and Feli's hands were put on to the handle of the shopping trolley while Matthew held one end so he could stop the trolley if it looked like he was going to accidentally to run into anyone but it was not needed. Gil was throwing in items they needed when Feli asked for pasta ingredients because he wanted to cook for Ludwig one night. Gil looked at Matthew, wondering how Feli could possible cook safely but Matthew just shrugged. He was no longer surprised at what Feli could or could not do.

After going to the check out, they paid for their groceries and split the bags between them. Gil and Feli carried two while Matthew carried the last one, leaving a hand free to help guide Feli who was already showing signs of knowing some of the landmarks. Another couple of trips and he would be able to make his way alone.

Once they reached home and put the groceries away, Matthew helped Feli choose what he would wear on his date while they waited for Ludwig to come home. Feli showered and dressed just as Ludwig arrived home. Ludwig looked up as Feli came down the stairs, holding the bannister, wearing an Armani suit and looking, to Ludwig, very cute.

"You look …. very nice," Ludwig said and winced at the trite compliment but Feli smiled brightly, any way.

"Grazie, Luddy!" he replied, Gil's nick-name for his bruder, falling from his lips unconsciously. Ludwig could not help smiling at this small sign of Feli moving closer to him emotionally but he would not push too far, too soon.

"I'll just shower and change," he said as Feli reached the bottom of the stairs. "Then we can go!"

"Oki doki!" Feli replied and began to move to go into the sitting room but Ludwig took hold of his arm as he passed.

"I mean it, Feli," he said. "You do look nice!" And he kissed Feli on the side of his forehead before he made his way up the stairs. Feli touched where Ludwig had kissed and gave another small smile then went into the sitting room to wait for him.

Ludwig was ready after a half an hour and had dressed in his best. Even if Feli could not see it, Ludwig felt he should make the effort as Feli had and when he walked into the room, Matthew whispered to Feli what his soul mate look like.

"Matthew said you look very nice too, Ludwig," Feli said, standing up and Ludwig came up to him and Feli put his hand on Ludwig's arm. He could smell Ludwig's aftershave and feel the fine quality of Ludwig's suit under his fingers and felt that Matthew was right, Ludwig must look very nice.

With a little ribbing from Gilbert and Matthew wishing them luck for a nice time, Ludwig and Feli left the house for their very first date.

**Date night for Ludwig and Feliciano! Let's hope things go well! :) Matthew's story about Alfred is what you think it might be, the opening for another story after this one's finished so stay tuned for that. ;)**

**To Seele Esser Deutsch**** – You can't look into someone's head and know what's completely going on so it's hard to know what really motivates a person but, with luck, Matthew has given Feli something to think about and I'm glad you're enjoying this and I hope I don't disappoint as the story goes on! :)**

**To takuya**** – I'm happy you liked it! :) Not so much of a problem if you have your own room but if you don't, Yep, it's a biggy! ;P**

**To Amawesomeguest**** – Now what makes you think that? ;D Hope fulfilled!**

**To newprussia**** – From one PruCan shipper to another! Two big thumbs up! :D**

**To ArtemisIsis13**** – Would you expect anything less from Ze Awesome Prussia! ;) And what happened in Canada? Well, you know the answer to that now! XD It would be scary for Feli but Berlitz was only protecting his home and now he'll protect Feli too. Feli might give Ludwig more of a chance after hearing Alfred's story, fingers crossed. Lol, I agree! Really awkward bedtime! XP Hope you like the rest of the story!**

**And that's all she wrote for this week, We'll see how their date went next week so for now,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	6. Love Is Blind Pt 5

**It's that time again! New chapter, Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Love Is Blind Pt 5**_

Ludwig was nervous as he drove toward the restaurant, praying that things went well tonight as he began his courtship of Feliciano. Apart from Feli's hang-up about his heart, there was a lot about Feli that Ludwig was drawn to. Feli was a very warm and caring person who loved his family and would make a wonderful partner if Ludwig could charm him permanently into his life which was why this date had to go off without a hitch.

Needless to say, they hit the first bump in the road as Ludwig pulled into the restaurant car park. Because they had driven, Feliciano had no idea where they were.

"Which restaurant are we going to, Ludwig?" he asked.

"The _Cielo Italiano_," Ludwig replied. Feliciano's face lit up!

"Really!" he cried. "That's where Lovino works while he's going through college!" Ludwig stared at the restaurant across from them. Lovino works there. Ludwig was about to take Feli on a date in a restaurant where his soul mate's foul-mouthed older brother worked! Scheiße!

Well, it was too late to find another restaurant, however tempting that might be, so he got out of the car and went to Feli's door to lead him to the restaurant. As they stepped inside, they were met by the maître d' who showed them to their table. As they sat down, Ludwig prayed Fate would be kind enough to ensure that Lovino was not at work tonight and would not be their waiter.

But you know, I know, Ludwig knows, EVERYBODY knows that Fate is a total, TOTAL bitch!

"Well, if it isn't the Potato Bastard," Lovino greeted, giving Ludwig a menu and provided the one in Braille he had had made for whenever Feli came in to eat. "I thought I saw your name among the reservations. Good luck, jerk! I'm your waiter for this evening!" Ludwig's groan was drowned out by Feliciano's happy cry.

"Lovi!" he squealed. "You're working tonight!"

"Yeah!" Lovino replied. "Marcello called in sick! How are you doing, idiota?"

"I'm fine!" Feliciano replied. "Ludwig brought me out to eat tonight!"

"Least he could do!" Lovino declared. "I know what Fratello drinks, Potato Bastard, what do you drink?" Ludwig would give anything for a beer right now but he did not want to give Lovino any reason to pour more scorn on him.

"Whatever Feliciano is drinking will be fine," he replied. Lovino snorted and left. Ludwig sighed. This was not the best start to the date but hopefully it would get better. Lovino returned with their drinks, two glasses of Pinot Grigio while Ludwig perused his menu as Feli ran his fingers over his.

"I'll have Bucatini all'Amatriciana, Lovi," Feliciano said, holding up his menu while Ludwig continued to peruse his menu.

"And what are you ordering, Potato Bastard?" Lovino groused. Ludwig decided to order Spaghetti Bolognese and Lovino grabbed his menu from his hand and went to give the orders to the kitchen.

"I see your brother's warming up to me," Ludwig said, drily. Feli cocked his head.

"He doesn't really mean it, you know," he replied. "He just finds it hard to trust people, he'll come round, you'll see!" Ludwig was not about to hold his breath, the older Vargas brother seemed determined to dislike him. He understood that Lovino was just worried about his brother but it was very irritating.

"He's been very protective of me since I went blind," Feliciano continued. "Nonno had to get him to back off a little so I could learn to do things on my own. Once he see you won't hurt me, he'll settle down and accept you. He's just like that because he loves me!"

"He calls you an idiot!"

"And he calls everyone else a bastard," Feliciano defended his fratello. "He's just hostile because he doesn't want people to get close to him. It makes me sad sometimes!"

"Does he have any friends?" Ludwig asked. Feliciano seemed to think for a moment.

"There's one guy he's talked about lately," he replied. "Some guy called Antonio, I think." Ludwig said nothing but looked in the direction of Lovino who had been joined by a man with dark hair and green eyes.

* * *

"What are you doing here, you jerk?" Lovino demanded as he turned to see his soul mate behind him. "I thought you were in Canada with your idiota friends!" Antonio smiled at Lovino.

"Gil found his soul mate," he replied. "So he cut his holiday short. Francis found someone to seduce and went off with them so I came home to be with you." And he came in close for a kiss but Lovino put his hand on Antonio's face and pushed him away.

"I'm at work!" he huffed. "And Feli's here with his soul mate!"

"And I want to spend time with mine," Antonio pouted. "We should be together now. When are you going to tell Feli about me? If he's found his soul mate now, he shouldn't react too badly!"

"They might not stay together," Lovino groused. "Stupid Potato Bastard is letting Feli have a trial period because of his stupid hang-up about his heart. Feli could still walk away from it!" Antonio was surprised that anyone would give their soul mate a chance to slip through their fingers.

"I wouldn't let you get away from me so easily," he purred. "The moment my heart started beating, you were mine!" Lovino snorted.

"I'm beginning to think my fratello is the lucky one!" he commented. "I'm going to see if their meals are ready. Try not to make the place look untidy!" Antonio pouted as Lovino walked into the kitchen with a smile on his face. He loved to test his soul mate's resolve because Lovino knew he was hard to live with but, so far, Antonio had not run for the hills

Maybe Fate did know what she was doing!

* * *

As Ludwig and Feliciano talked about their lives and families, Ludwig was falling more and more for his reluctant soul mate and Feli was not immune either. He began to build a picture of Ludwig as a serious-minded man who liked a neat and tidy home, loved dogs and enjoyed baking as well, mostly cakes and sweets. Despite the way Ludwig reacted to Gilbert's invasion of his bedroom, Feli felt that the Beilschmidt brothers were close, rather like Lovino and himself.

He could see a life with this man, even yearned for it, if he was honest. He wanted to be with his soul mate like everyone else and he wondered if Matthew was right, that the fact that his heart would never beat was unimportant, just a signal to say 'this is the one you'll be spending your life with' in which case, only one of them needed to feel it.

Maybe he should forgo this 'trial period' and take a chance that he and Ludwig could work, that they could be happy together. He wanted to but he had live with this situation for so long it was hard to let go and he did not know what to do.

Lovino came to the table with their meals, warning Feliciano that the plate was hot and just putting Ludwig's meal down without a word. Feli thanked his brother and put his hands on either side and brought them in until he found the cutlery and then he began to eat and Ludwig joined him.

Italian food was something Ludwig had not eaten very often, if at all, and he was apprehensive which was why he ordered something he had heard of. He twirled some of the spaghetti round his fork and brought it up to his mouth. As the taste hit his taste-buds, he savoured the taste of the sauce and decided that this was something he could get used to.

Feli could not see Ludwig's reaction to his food but he could hear his groan of pleasure at the taste and smiled.

"How do you like your food?" he asked. Ludwig swallowed his mouth full of food.

"Delicious!" he replied and Feliciano smiled even wider.

"I got ingredients from the store so I can make pasta dishes," he said. "I want to make dinner for us some time." Ludwig looked at Feli.

"You can cook!" he was surprised. He would have thought that Feli's lack of sight would have made cooking a dangerous pastime. Feliciano just smiled. Everyone was surprised when they discovered that he cooked.

"The oven will need markings so I know which knob operates what and the temperature levels," he replied. "And I need to learn where you keep everything but when that's done, I'll be fine!" Ludwig made a note to ask for Romulus's help to set up the house to make things easier for Feli.

"You amaze me, Feli," he said, honestly and Feli blushed. People might think Feliciano was helpless but he was incredibly capable, able to do many things on his own that many sighted people would think beyond Feli's ability to do. "I'm astounded by what you're able to do. You should be very proud of yourself!" Feli blushed further and Ludwig was captivated. With his beautiful, bright amber eyes, Feli was just adorable.

Why did he ever offer that trial period!

Lovino came back to their table when they finished their food, giving them the dessert menus (Feli's in Braille again) and took out his order pad.

"What do you want, Potato Bastard?" he groused. "We don't do strudel!" Normally, Ludwig would report such rudeness to the management but Feli would be upset if Lovino got into trouble with his bosses and Ludwig suspected that the little scheiße knew it but he had no choice but to keep quiet and he read the menu.

"I'll just have some chocolate gelato, fratello," Feli chirped, distracting Lovino as he wrote Feli's order down on his pad while Ludwig made his selection.

"I'll have the Tiramisu," Ludwig said, wanting Lovino to leave so he could have more time with Feli without any more snotty comments. Lovino's pen scratched on the pad as he made a note of Ludwig's selection. He took the menus, picked up the empty plates and went into the kitchen while Feli got out of his chair.

"Feli?" Ludwig asked.

"I just need the rest room," Feli replied. "It's all right. I know the way!" And he headed for the rest room, Vee~ ing his way there while Ludwig thought about going with Feli but thought Feli would be uncomfortable with his presence this soon in their relationship so he decided to just wait for him to return.

* * *

Knowing where the toilets cubicles and the wash basins were, due to many visits and help from his brother, Feli had no problem moving about the rest room. He used the toilet and washed his hands, thinking about his soul mate in the dining area. Ludwig really seemed to want him to be in his life and not put off by his unbeating heart, bravely taking a chance on an uncertain future with him, a truly brave soul.

Feli took a deep breath and decided that he would be brave as well. He would go back into the dining area and tell Ludwig to forget the trial period. Feli would accept being his soul mate and they would face the future together, come what may.

The decision seemed to take a weight off Feli's shoulder and he left the rest room with a light heart and, as he left to return to Ludwig, he heard his fratello's voice. He was about to call out to him when he heard another voice. It sounded like someone in their twenties and Spanish.

"Come on, Lovi!" the voice whined. "We should tell him, then we don't have to hide it any more."

"For the last time, no!" he heard his brother say. "Not until things are more settled with the Potato Bastard!" Feli cocked his head in confusion. Was that him they were talking about? And tell him what?

"Feliciano has to know!" the Spaniard replied, adamantly. "And, you never know, it might encourage him to make a decision. I just want us to be together, Lovi!" Feli was beginning to suspect what they were talking about.

"I'm not accepting that bastard until I'm sure Feli's safe with him," Lovino said. "I'm sorry, Toni but I want my fratellino _(little brother) _safe and settle before I can think about us." _Toni! As in 'Antonio'! _Feli began to breathe rapidly as he became more and more convinced that his suspicion was correct.

"I know!" the Spaniard replied, resignedly. "I just want my soul mate by my side, where you belong!"

Feli did not move for a moment, he was in too much shock! His older fratello had found his soul mate and kept it from him. Despite being sighted, Lovino and Antonio moved away without seeing that Feli was even there. Finally Feli was able to move though he was distracted and collided with several chairs and people, apologising but he lost his bearings and was confused as to where he was. He was on the verge of panicking when he heard Ludwig's voice.

"Feli, are you all right?"

Ludwig had looked round to see Feli in the centre of the dinning area with a look of panic on his face as if he did not know which way to go and went to him. Feliciano turned toward Ludwig's voice and reached out his hand. He felt it being taken in a warm, firm one and Ludwig took his arm, leading back to the table and his chair. Ludwig could see that, for some reason, Feli was in a state of shock. What had happened in the rest room? Had someone upset Feli or done something ….. inappropiate?

"Feli, what's wrong?" he asked, gently. Feli's reply was quiet but Ludwig caught it.

"Lovino's found his soul mate!"

Ludwig looked over at Lovino who was bringing their dessert over to their table and cursed the older brother, silently in his head. How Feli had found out, Ludwig had no idea but Feli was clearly taking it badly as a tear crawled down Feli's cheek.

"Why didn't he tell me?"

**Not a good way to find out! Poor Feli! Just as he made the decision to accept Ludwig! Like I said, Fate is a total, TOTAL bitch!**

**To maryranstadler1**** – I love PruCan too! :D Yeah! Pretty crappy thing to happen to anyone but I have a happy ending planned for Alfred ;) And you can rely on good advice from Matthew, if anyone can notice him enough to listen, that is!**

**To takuya**** – Thanks :) Yup! Ludwig and Feli are making progress but Feli's discovery about Lovino is going to knock him backwards. Hopefully, Ludwig can help him through it! Shame it ruined their date though! :(**

**To JulietVargas**** – Liked the praise, thank you! :D I'm hoping to finish this one next week so, with luck, I can get started on that story :) Happy Endings for everyone! XD**

**To newprussia**** – And Spamano! Don't forget Spamano! ;P And more fluff on the way! :3**

**To Normandy**** – But, of course! And, of course the rest of the BTT would be involved! XP And the date was cute-ish. Until Feli's discovery, of course! :(**

**With any luck, I'll finish this story next week. Then I'll start on Arthur and Alfred's story and, if I get a little time, I might try to write a one-shot about how Gilbert and Matthew met.**

**So til next time,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	7. Love Is Blind Pt 6

**Here we go! The last chapter of the story arc! Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Love Is Blind Pt 6**_

As Lovino approached the table, he knew immediately that something was wrong. Feliciano was pale and tearful as Ludwig was leaning toward him and he naturally jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"What have you done to my fratello, you bastard?" he stormed, banging the dessert dishes down on the table. Feliciano turned toward the sound of Lovino's voice and the shocked look turned to one of anger.

"What did HE do!" he said with a quiet hiss and then his voice got louder. "WHAT DID _HE_ DO!" Lovino stepped back in surprise at the anger in his younger brother's voice, Feli had never raised his voice to him before.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU'D FOUND YOUR SOUL MATE?" he cried and everyone in the restaurant turned at the sound of the altercation. Lovino was pale and Ludwig decided that this was not the place for this discussion and he went to Feliciano's side and pulled the distraught Italian into his arms.

"I think we should take this somewhere else, liebling," he suggested, not wanting to give everyone else a show with their dinner. He looked at Lovino who nodded guiltily and showed them the way to the restaurant staff room. Ludwig and Feliciano sat down on the couch and Feli put his head on Ludwig's shoulder, sobbing. Antonio, hearing Feliciano's out-burst in the dining area, had followed them in as this concerned him too. Lovino was desperately trying to get Feliciano to listen to him.

"Fratello!" he begged. "I'm sorry! I was afraid to tell you about Antonio! I was afraid it would upset you and …. and ….." Ludwig had never heard Lovino sound so sorry and apologetic or to speak so brokenly.

"I wouldn't try to kill myself again," Feliciano sobbed. Lovino knelt down, putting his hands on Feliciano's knee like a child pleading that he had not done the naughty deed he was about to be punished for.

"I was too scared to take that risk!" he cried. "Do you know what it was like when I came home to find you with a knife to your wrist, Feli! I was so scared if I told you, you might do it again and this time, I wouldn't be there to save you!" Tears now fell from Lovino's eyes and he put his head down on Feli's knee on top of his hands.

"I don't want to lose you, fratello!" he whispered. Feli's hands fell down to entangle his fingers in Lovino's hair. He knew he had scared his family with his suicide attempt but he never realised just how badly Lovino had been affected by it all.

"I'm sorry, fratello," Feli whispered and Lovino got up and hugged his little brother. "I didn't realise what finding me like that did to you. I know you've always blamed yourself for my blindness, I should have realised that you might blame yourself for my suicide attempt as well. I'm sorry, fratello!"

"Your blindness IS my fault!" Lovino wept. "It was my idea to climb the trees you fell from!"

"I could have said no," Feli replied. "I wanted to climb them as much as you. You have to stop blaming yourself for that, Lovi! I'm fine now so stop!" Lovino let go of Feli and stood up, wiping his eyes.

"I really am sorry that I didn't tell you about Antonio," he insisted. Feliciano looked toward the door.

"Will you introduce me to your soul mate?" Ludwig looked up to see the dark-haired man he had seen earlier. The man in question looked surprised.

"How did you know I was here?" he asked. Feli smiled, softly.

"I heard you and Lovi talking earlier and smelt your cologne," he replied. "I can smell it now! Ciao, I'm Feliciano Vargas!" Feli held out his hand and Antonio came forward to shake it."

"Hola!" he said. "I'm Antonio Carriedo! I've wanted you to know about me for a long time and it's nice to finally meet you!" He turned to Ludwig.

"Hola!" Ludwig took his hand and shook it.

"Guten tag!" Ludwig replied. "I'm Ludwig Beilschmidt, Feliciano's soul mate! Pleased to meet you!"

"Oh, you're Gilbert's brother!" Antonio exclaimed. "I was in Canada with him recently! You know he found his soul mate?"

"Ja," Ludwig replied. "and how they found each other while Gilbert was stuck, drunk, half-way up a mountain!" There was a giggle from Feliciano which was a welcome sound to Ludwig. Antonio looked rather sheepish.

"Si!" he said. "Me, Gilbert and Francis were all drunk. We tried to stop him but you know Gilbert!"

"Ja!" Ludwig answered. "Unfortunately, I do! Both Gilbert and Matthew are at home, right now! Matthew seems like a good person, maybe he can reign Gil in a little!"

"Perhaps!" Antonio agreed. Feliciano was leaning against Ludwig again and he looked a little weary.

"I think, perhaps, I should take Feliciano home," Ludwig said. "This has been trying for him so I'll just pay the bill and take him home to rest." Lovino looked like he was going to argue but took one look at Feliciano's tired face and just nodded.

After paying for their meal, Ludwig put Feliciano in the car, glad that he had not drunk more than a few sips of the wine he had ordered (he did not really like it!) and with Lovino saying he would drop by to see how Feliciano was the next day, Ludwig pulled out of the restaurant car park and made their way home.

* * *

Feli had nodded off on the way home and, when they reached the house, Ludwig gently carried him from the car to the house where Matthew waited, holding the door open for them.

"How did your date go?" he asked. Ludwig gave a wry smile.

"Not exactly how I planned," he replied, shifting Feliciano in his arms. Feli moved and gave a quiet murmur then settled his head back on to Ludwig's shoulder. "I better put him to bed, he's had an emotional night!" Matthew nodded as Ludwig carried Feli up to their room.

Ludwig kicked the bedroom door opened, carried Feli in and kicked it shut again. It was then that he realised that he had a problem. He could not leave Feli to sleep in his suit so he had to undress his unconscious soul mate. He put Feli's feet back on the floor and held him upright as he began to slide the jacket from Feli's shoulders. Feli mumbled and shifted his head position on Ludwig's shoulder as the jacket was removed and deposited on a nearby chair, after which Ludwig went to work on Feli's tie and then his shirt.

Feli's eyes fluttered open as he felt Ludwig unbuttoning his shirt. He knew that Ludwig was just trying to put him to bed, Luddy would never do anything inappropriate but this was a good time to make obvious his decision about them and he reached up on his toes, put his hands on either side of Ludwig's face and planted his lips on Ludwig's.

Ludwig was taken by surprise when his soul mate woke up and kissed him. Then Feli's arms came up and wrapped around his neck and, for a moment, Ludwig was lost in the kiss but then the therapist in him asserted itself as he believed that Feli's feelings were influenced by earlier. He broke the kiss and held Feli back.

"Ludwig!" Feli whined.

"I don't think you're in the right frame of mind for this, Feli," Ludwig said. "You're tired and upset! I think you should sleep and think about this in the morning when things are clearer!"

"We're soul mates, Luddy," Feli insisted, still trying to kiss Ludwig. "I was stupid! Matthew was right, I don't need a heartbeat to know we should be together. Please!" Ludwig was tempted to give in to Feli but he would never know if it was the emotional upheaval talking.

"Sleep tonight, Feli!" he ordered. "If you feel the same tomorrow, we'll talk about it but for now, you've had a rough night so it's best that you get some sleep!" Feli took it as rejection and he did not take it well. Finally, after accepting life with Ludwig, Ludwig seemed to be pushing him away.

"You don't want me!" he sobbed. "Why would you? Who wants a blind man who's heart never beats?" Damn! thought Ludwig. He taken a step backwards with Feli and he hugged the distraught Italian to him.

"Of course I want you, Feliciano," he reassured him. "I would like nothing more than to take you to bed but, Feli, you're upset and not thinking straight right now. Please give yourself time to recover from tonight!" Feli still looked upset and Ludwig made a compromise. After helping Feli out of the rest of his clothes but leaving him in his underwear, he put Feli in his bed and, after changing his own clothes, he joined him.

He pulled Feli against him, his chest against Feli's back and held him. This was not what he had in mind when he imagined their first time in bed together but Feli needed him to be the strong one right now and that was what he would be.

Feli succumbed to exhaustion once more and Ludwig soon followed him into sweet oblivion.

* * *

Feli slowly awoke but he was a little disorientated. This did not feel like the bed he had slept in last night and he was in his underwear. He must have been tired if he managed to sleep in any clothing and it was then he realised he was not alone. He could feel a warm body pressed up against his back and the scent tickling his nose told him it was Ludwig. He was in Ludwig's bed! The previous evening's events came back to him and he groaned. Had he really thrown himself at Ludwig like that? Yes, he had finally accepted everything but to just rush in like that! He was thankful that Ludwig resisted his overtures, otherwise things would have been very awkward this morning. Wait! Things were very awkward! How could he face Ludwig after his behaviour last night! Feli groaned and pulled the duvet over his head in an attempt to disappear before Ludwig woke up.

Ludwig was already awake and had been for some while, waiting for Feli to wake up and he knew when he heard Feli groan that his little Italian had remembered what happened last night. Ludwig tightened around Feli and hugged him to his chest.

"Guten Morgen!" he said. Feli just mumbled and tried to wiggle down into depths of the bed but Ludwig pulled him back up above the covers, knowing that he was just embarrassed about what happened last night.

"Nein, you don't!" Ludwig said, holding Feli close to him. "We have to talk about last night!"

"Do we have to?" Feli whined. "I can't believe what I did last night! How could I have done that?"

"You had a shock last night," Ludwig replied. "I did not expect you to be yourself after that but I want to know! What was Matthew right about?" Feli blushed.

"He said our hearts start beating just to let us know we've found each other," he said. "So only one of us needs to feel it." Ludwig turned Feli so he could see his face.

"I feel it!" he replied with conviction in his voice.

"I know!" Feli whispered. "I … I decided last night that ….." He fell silent.

"What did you decide, Feli?" Ludwig asked, cupping Feli's cheek. Feli took a deep breath to fortify himself.

"I decided I don't want to have the trial period," he replied, quickly before he could lose his nerve. "I want a future with you, my soul mate! Whatever might happen in the future, I'll face it with you!" He felt Ludwig's thumb rubbing against his cheek.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Feli could not speak any further so he just nodded,

Ludwig's beating heart sped up at what Feli had said. His soul mate was accepting him and their life together. Ludwig had a lot to thank Matthew for, his advice had lead Feli to this decision. His older bruder might be a pain at times but Ludwig was glad Gil had come home, bringing his soul mate with him because it had brought Ludwig and Feli together at last.

Feli felt Ludwig shift and then he felt warm firm lips touch his in a gentle kiss. The lips retreated and then returned in a firmer kiss and he felt Ludwig's weight come over him as he was rolled on to his back and he brought his arms up to wrap round Ludwig's neck as the kisses grew more passionate.

_This is it!_ Feli thought. _What I've denied myself for so long! At long last, me and Ludwig will …_

The bedroom door crashed open and killed the moment.

"Hey, Bro-ah!" Gilbert stood in the doorway. "I need your phone charger, I left mine in Canada." Then he saw Feliciano and Ludwig in the same bed with Ludwig over Feli.

"Now you've got the right idea, bruder!" he smirked and quickly ducked out of the room, closing the door behind him just before Ludwig's alarm clock smashed into it. _Oops!_ He thought as he went downstairs to the kitchen where Matthew was making pancakes.

"Did you get it?" he asked.

"Nein," Gil replied. "But I certainly stopped my bruder from getting it!"

* * *

Breakfast was awkward. Feli had a permanent blush and refused to look up, Ludwig was glowering at his older bruder who was subdue after getting a scolding off Matthew for bursting into Ludwig's bedroom without knocking _again_ and poor Matthew was stuck in the middle of the awkward atmosphere.

Ludwig had no patients, as it was his day off, and he would have liked to get Feli out for the day but Lovino was coming and Ludwig felt that the two brothers need to talk and clear the air. After what he heard last night, he thought that Lovino could do with a little therapy as well but he was not about to suggest that to the bad-tempered Italian otherwise Ludwig would be the one needing therapy.

"Would you like any more pancakes, Feli?" Matthew asked just to fill the awkward silence. Feli did not reply and just shook his head without looking up. Ludwig glared at his bruder again.

Saved by the bell! The doorbell that was as it's chimes rang through the house and Ludwig went to answer it. A disgruntled Lovino stood on the doorstep.

"Hey, Potato Bastard," was the charming greeting. "I came to see my fratello, is he about?"

"Ja," Ludwig replied, stepping back to let the grumpy Italian enter, glad of his presence for a change. "He's in the kitchen, finishing breakfast." Lovino walked past Ludwig and into the kitchen.

"Hey, fratello," he said as he walked into the room. Feli's head finally came up and smiled, a little too broadly, glad for something to distract him from the embarrassing situation he was stuck in.

"Ciao, Lovino," he chirped. "Lovino, this is Ludwig's fratello, Gilbert!" Gilbert gave a cocky wave while Lovino muttered, 'Great! Another potato bastard'. "And this is his soul mate, Matthew Williams from Canada!" Matthew smiled, still chewing on the bite of pancake he had just taken.

"Canada!" Lovino said. "Aren't you all maple bastards there?" Matthew choked on his pancake.

"Let's go somewhere to talk, Lovi," Feli decided to get Lovino out of the way before he killed anyone with shock. "Ludwig, can we use the front room?" Lovino look round to see that Ludwig was stood behind him.

"Ja," Ludwig replied and glared at his bruder again. "I'll see to it that you're NOT disturbed!" Gil put his head down and dug into what remained of his breakfast. Feli stood up from the table and followed the smell of tomatoes that hung around Lovino.

"This way, fratello!"

* * *

"What was going on in there?" Lovino asked after the door shut behind them. Feli knew his way to the couch now and sat down and Lovi followed him.

"What do you mean?" Feli asked, hoping that Lovino would not push the issue. Some hope!

"You couldn't get out of the room fast enough," Lovino had picked up on that and the awkward atmosphere between the group. "So what's happen?" Feli went red.

"Something happened this morning and everyone's very embarrassed about it," Feli admitted.

"What did the Potato Bastard do?" Lovino growled, ready to go and confront the German for whatever he had done wrong.

"Nothing!" Feli exclaimed. "You always think he's done something to me!"

"I'm just worried about you, fratello!" Lovino replied. "I don't know what this man is like! He could be violent and cruel for all I know and, with your blindness, you'd be helpless against him if he struck out at you!"

"Well, you don't have to worry any more, Lovi." Feli reassured him. "Ludwig's never been anything but nice to me, fratello. He's a good person, believe me!"

"If you say so!" Lovino muttered.

"I do say so!" Feli replied. "When I said I had no choice but to be his soul mate, he gave me a choice when he could have just agreed and make me be his soul mate when I wasn't ready. He's given me time to accept all this. I could have walked away and left him and he knew that but he took that risk, just so I could be happy in my eventual choice! Who but a good person would do all that?"

"What do you mean 'you could have walked away'?" his brother asked.

"I'm staying with Luddy!" Feli announced. "No more trial period, no more running away from Fate! Luddy's my soul mate, the one I'm destined to spend my life with and that's what I'm going to do! I'm finally moving on with my life and that's what you need to do too!"

"Eh!" Lovino was confused. "I've accepted my soul mate!"

"But held yourself back because of me!" Feli declared. "You still blame yourself because of the accident that made me go blind! Maybe you did suggest we climb those trees but I didn't say no, I didn't even try to say no. The decision was mine! And I was the one who believed I had no future with a soul mate and became depressed and suicidal. That was me, not you but you took on responsibility for that too so you hid an important part of your life from me because you were afraid it would make me suicidal again. It was stupid and selfish and it made me ill. All those other people I went to the Blind School with have got on with their lives while I stood still and you ended up standing still with me. Well, not any more!" Feli grabbed his fratello's hands.

"Go to Antonio!" he ordered. "Go make a life with your soul mate and I'll make a life with mine. If you feel you have to make anything up to me, then do it by living your own life and being happy!" Lovino looked at his brother for a moment, thinking how far he had come from shutting himself off from the world. Maybe the Potato Bastard was good for his fratello after all.

"I wish you every happiness, fratello," he said and kissed his brother on the forehead. "Although I'll still hunt the Potato Bastard down if he hurts you!" Feli chuckled.

"Go on!" he said. "I'm sure Antonio's waiting for you!" Lovino pulled his hands from Feli's grip.

"I see you later, fratello," he promised. "Arrivederci!" He got up and left. Feli sat there for a moment, smiling now that he had sent Lovi to live his own life. Things would be better for everyone now.

"Feli!" Ludwig's voice came from the door. "I heard Lovino leave, are you all right?" Feli turned toward Ludwig's voice.

"Si, Luddy," he replied. "Things have never been better!" The couch shifted as Ludwig sat down beside his soul mate and Feli felt Ludwig's arm slide across his shoulders and pull him in close.

"Gil and Matthew have gone out," Ludwig told him. "Matthew thought it would be a good idea before mein bruder could cause any more embarrassment." Feli smiled.

"He doesn't mean any harm," he replied, cuddling against his soul mate. He felt Ludwig's hand lift his head by his chin and lips came down on his and holding Feli against him and Feli relished the contact, considering himself lucky in his soul mate. A good man, like he had told Lovino, who considered Feli's wishes above his own. An unselfish, brave soul who's touch filled Feli with warmth and love, shining like the sun. He could see it in his mind, a shining golden light that shone into every part of Feli's being.

_Ba-bump, ba-bump!_

Both froze as they felt it. Feli almost fainted with the shock as his heart pounded in his chest while Ludwig put his hand over Feli's heart, just to be sure of what he felt. The heartbeat sped up, first with shock and then with excitement and Ludwig looked up at the stunned look on Feli's face.

"How …..?" Ludwig was lost for words as he continued to feel Feli's heart beneath his hand.

"I don't know!" Feli exclaimed and then he wrapped his arms around Ludwig and hugged him close. "My heart's beating, Luddy! I can't believe it! My heart's beating without seeing your eyes! It's a miracle!"

"Yes, it is!" Ludwig agreed, hugging Feli back. "Mein Gott, How did this happen? What were you thinking of when I kissed you, Feli?"

"About how lucky I was," Feli admitted. "To have someone like you as a soul mate and …... Ludwig! I was thinking about your soul! I was thinking about what it looked like! I even thought I could see it!"

"You don't need eyes to see someone's soul!" Ludwig muttered. Feli gasped.

"That's what Miss Elizaveta said," he said. Ludwig nodded.

"She said that to me too," he told Feli. "It looks like she was right!" Feli's eyes filled with tears.

"I've been fighting my destiny for so long," he said. "And my heart was going to beat after all. I wasted so much time!" Ludwig picked Feli up, bride-style.

"Then let's not waste any more," he replied and carried Feli up to their room.

* * *

Gilbert and Matthew returned to find the living room empty and Gilbert immediately ran up the stairs with Matthew yelling after him not to just burst into Ludwig's room but Gil did not listen. He grabbed the doorknob, turned it and …..

…..ran straight into the door! Gil turned the door knob again and pushed. The door did not budge. It seemed his bruder had taken precautions against Gil's intrusions but why?

Gil put his ear against the door to hear what was happening in the room. He frowned, then blushed and decided to leave them to it. And maybe have his own interlude with his own soul mate.

And up in their bedroom, two hearts beat as one!

**Sorry for those expecting a smutty scene! It's not that I'm a prude, I just can't write smut. I'll leave that to better writers than me. But this part of the story is finished and next week, with luck, the awaited Alfred/Arthur story arc will begin, fingers crossed! **

**To maryranstadler1**** – Thanks! :D Yeah, it was good that Feli decided to drop that exercise of ultimate futility but, bad way to find out about Lovino DX but, as you've read, Lovino had his own issues to deal with, poor guy! :(**

**To Ariaprincess**** – Poor Feli! Poor Lovi! :'( Both of them suffered because of Feli's accident but they've sorted it out now! May they both live Happily Ever After! XD**

**To DragonPancakes673**** – So happy you do :D Hope you enjoy Alfred and Arthur's story just as much!**

**To newprussia**** – Know the problem! I keep flipping from UsUk to Fruk! So many ships! XP**

**To nicolai87**** – I'll be doing England x America next but I'll give that some serious consideration, I promise! ;)**

**To RedPheonix15**** – Yep! The truth, including why Lovi kept it all a secret. I could only guess at how I would feel if I found someone I cared about trying to kill themselves. I think I would be constantly afraid they would try again too. :(**

**To Normandy**** – I think you know why Lovino was too scared to tell Feli now. He felt responsible for Feli's blindness and then his suicide attempt so he was afraid of making things worse. It turns out Ludwig had a problem accepting affection from Feli while he was so upset but, luckily they worked through it:) Ah! Francis! A story for another time ;) And you're welcome! :D**

**To ArtemisIsis13**** – Like I said, Fate is a total, Total bitch! DX But Lovino's protectiveness toward his brother had a much deeper cause but (after a scene in the restaurant and a tearful confession) they've worked it all out and Antonio wanted Lovino to tell Feli but Lovino was frightened of what might happen and, yes, the timing was horrible! Ah! Someone spotted it! ;P Yes, Cielo Italiano of Demonic Romeo fame! It could be a reference or it could be I was too lazy to make up another restaurant name, you decide! ;) And UsUk coming up!**

**That's Gerita finished and UsUk is next! I don't have a title for the new one yet so all suggestions are welcome! To recap, Alfred and Arthur meet when they're three but are separated before their parents realise that the two boys are soul mates and grow up not knowing who or where their soul mate is!**

**Hopefully, I'll have a story ready for Valentine's Day and it's Gilbert and Matthew's story. I've already started writing it so, with luck, it'll be ready in time.**

**Till then,**

**Hasta la Pasta! **


	8. Love On A Mountaintop:Valentine Special

**Happy Valentine's Day, Everybody! As promised, Gilbert and Matthew's story! Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya! **

_**Love On A Mountain Top**_

Snow sprayed up and sprinkled Gilbert's face as he flew down the ski-slope, passing other skiers as he headed down hill. No one would have thought Gil was into skiing but he got into the sport when occasionally staying with his cousin, Roderich Edelstein, in Austria. Now he was in Canada with his two friends, Francis and Antonio, who were following him down the ski-run.

When they reached the bottom, Gil pulled the skiing goggles off his eyes, his white hair glinting in the sun and his red orbs watching his friends join him, their skis scattering snow everywhere.

"Beat you!" Gil declared. "You can never defeat my awesomeness!" The blonde Frenchman took his goggles off, revealing his blue eyes. The dark-haired Spaniard's green eyes shone behind his visor.

"You know you cheated, mon ami!" Francis accused but without heat, like it was a good-natured common occurrence. "When you say 'on three', you're meant to go on three with the rest of us, not one!" Gilbert smirked.

"I just awesomely took advantage of an opportunity that presented itself," he said. "If you unawesomely didn't, that's not my fault!" Antonio pulled his visor off.

"Well, I'm tired, amigos," he stated. "Anyone want to get a drink?" Gil clapped his hands together.

"Awesome idea!" he cheered. Francis looked like he was up for it as well and they went to the nearest bar, leaving their skis outside.

* * *

A drink (or a few) later and the trio of friends were a _little_ bit tipsy as Gilbert sipped at another beer and Francis and Antonio drinking wine. Antonio pulled out his wallet and from the wallet, he pulled out a photograph of a young man with dark reddish brown hair with a curl sticking out to the right and caramel coloured eyes. He sighed over it.

"Ahh! Lovi!" he cooed. Gilbert snorted into his beer.

"Ever since you found your soul mate," he commented, slurry. "You've been all gooey eyed. Not awesome, mein freund!" Antonio looked at his friend good-naturedly.

"You'll be the same when you find your soul mate, amigo," he said.

"I could never be so unawesome," Gil replied. Francis took a sip of wine.

"L'amour makes us do funny things, mon ami," he declared.

"Not the awesome me!"

They finished their drinks and called for another round. As the drinks were put in front of them, some people with mountain climbing equipment walked in, dumping their gear and found a corner to sit in. Gil eyed them, drunkenly.

"I can do that!" he declared. Francis and Antonio looked round at the group who called for a waitress to take their order.

"Do what?" Francis asked.

"Climb a mountain!" Gil replied. "I'm awesome enough for that!" Francis and Antonio snickered into their wine.

"Amigo," Antonio chuckled. "You've never climbed a mountain in your life!" Francis concurred.

"Dangerous if you don't know how to," he said, lifting his wineglass. Gil was not to be deterred when he was drunk. He pointed out of the window at the nearest mountain.

"Shows what you know!" he said, "I've been climbing when I visit my cousin in Austria. Bet I can make it to that ledge," he said, pointing to a ledge some way up the cliff-face. "If I win, you have to declare my awesomeness to everyone. You must declare me the King of Awesomeness!"

"Don't be stupid, Gil," Antonio said. "You're drunk!" But Gilbert was already out of the door, grabbing one of the discarded packs as he passed. He put on his skis and began skiing toward the mountain, his friends and the disgruntled owner of the gear shouting after him.

* * *

The cold weather exacerbated the effects of the alcohol that Gil had drunk so the chances of him sobering up to the level of thinking 'This would be really stupid!' was slim to none as he raced to the foot of the mountain. He took off his skis and began pulling ropes, harness, carabiners and other equipment from his appropriated pack, putting it on around him and began scaling the mountain. Somehow he managed to make headway, even in his inebriated state and, by the time the others had caught up with him, he was already beyond their reach.

"Gil, you're an idiot," Francis shouted up at him.

"An awesome idiot!" Gil shouted back down.

"No, just an idiot!" Gil just 'kesese' d and kept climbing.

"Gil!" Antonio shouted up to him. "Come back down, amigo! You're in no condition to be climbing mountains!" But Gil continued his upward climb. Francis sighed.

"Call Mountain Rescue!" he said and Spain took out his phone.

* * *

Matthew Williams flipped his final pancake on to the plate in his other hand and he put down his spatula and turned off the cooker. He took the plate to the kitchen table and sat down to drizzle a good amount of maple syrup over the tasty treats and tucked in.

As he chewed, he thought about his younger brother Alfred and his soul mate problems. Matthew had yet to find his soul mate but he was luckier than his brother who had. The problem was Alfred had been only three at the time and he was pulled away from his soul mate and it was only later that their parents had realised that Alfred's heart was beating. By then, Alfred's soul mate had vanished and they had no idea who they were and, therefore, had no way of finding them. Alfred seemed to be happy but Matthew knew that was just a front and that Alfred was very lonely. Alfred was in America, working for a big corporation. Alfred was actually American, having been born there while Matthew had been born in Canada.

Attempts had been made to find Alfred's lost soul mate but the information they had was limited. They knew it was a boy who had left America on the day he and Alfred met in a busy airport. But many children had been on planes leaving the States on that day and it was not allowed to give out information on passengers. It seemed unlikely that Alfred would ever find his soul mate.

Matthew broke off another piece of pancake and had just popped it into his mouth when the pager on his belt bleeped. He took it off his belt and read the emergency message, looked at his remaining pancakes and sighed. He had really been looking forward to them but duty called and he had to answer because someone was in trouble up a mountain.

He put on his sturdy snow boots, grabbed his thick winter coat and headed out to his truck to make his way to the heliport where the Mountain Rescue helicopter was waiting for the rescue team that was on its way.

* * *

When he reached the Mountain Rescue base, everybody was climbing into their rescue gear and Matthew began to change into his own kit while everybody talked about what this emergency was.

"Apparently, some idiot got drunk and decided to go climbing," Natalya Arlovskaya, their platinum blonde, blue/violet-eyed Belarusian pilot, said. "He was already a good way up before his friends could stop him so we have to go rescue the moron."

"How did he managed to climb intoxicated?" Ivan Braginski, their Russian co-pilot and winch man asked. Natalya had joined Mountain Rescue because her violet eyed, ash blonde half brother had and she had, what some would could call, an over-excessive amount of affection for him which even Ivan was uncomfortable with. Matthew was also wondering how a drunk had managed to scale the side of a mountain.

"The guy must have more lives than a cat," Natalya replied and looked at her two team-mates. "All right! Let's go save the imbecile!"

* * *

The alcohol in Gilbert's bloodstream had dropped to a level that finally had the albino thinking that, perhaps, this was not his best idea. While it was true that he had climbed, it was only small cliff faces and always with an instructor. He was just six feet away from his target ledge and he had used up a universe of luck getting this far. He had been fortunate that the weather had been mild but while he would make it to the ledge, he did not trust his ability to get down and, boy, was the owner of that mountaineering gear going to be pissed.

Gil made it to the ledge and hauled himself on to it, finding the safest part of it he could. Well, he said he could make to the ledge. He never said anything about getting back down and he had to admit that he had been unawesomely stupid this time.

* * *

_Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! _

The helicopter blades whirled round at high speed, holding the aircraft aloft with Natalya and Ivan at the controls. Matthew sat in the back as they sped to their destination and then they had to find their drunken climber. They past over the Canadian scenery, trees and snow whizzing past below them and the mountain coming toward them.

Natalya circled the mountain, looking for the idiot they had to rescue and then, finally, they came into view of a man sitting on a ledge. Ivan left his seat while Matthew put on the hoist harness as they got ready to pluck the silly man off the mountain.

* * *

Gilbert could hear a sound coming toward him that eventually became the tell-tale _whomp, whomp, whomp _of a helicopter that got louder and then a rescue helicopter flew into sight and Gil had never felt so relieved, despite the wind whipping around him. The helicopter gained height to reach a spot where it could get in close enough without the blades hitting the side of the mountain and someone swung out on the hoist and began to be lowered down.

Matthew attached himself and a sling harness to the hoist and climbed out of the helicopter, hanging in mid-air as Ivan operated the winch to lower him down to the stranded, drunk climber. The wind from the blades plucked at him and blew snow into the air as he descended lower. He could not see much of the man on the ledge as he put his head down away from the wind blowing around him. Matthew descended slowly down until he finally reached the ledge the man sat on.

"HELLO!" he shouted above the noise of the helicopter. "MY NAME'S MATTHEW! WHAT'S YOURS?" The man was still shielding his face against the wind.

"GILBERT!" he shouted back in a German accent. "ZE AWESOME GILBERT BEILSCHMIDT!" Matthew snorted but it was drowned out by the sound of the helicopter. That this man could pull this stunt and still refer to himself as awesome …...

"I'M GOING TO PUT THIS SLING AROUND YOU!" Matthew told him, dropping it over Gil's head. "THEN WE'LL BE PULLED UP TO THE HELICOPTER!" He helped Gilbert put his arms through the sling and pulled him into a standing position and looked up at the helicopter, waving and Ivan operated the winch and they began to rise. As they lifted into the sky, Matthew and Gil looked each other in the eyes, violet looking into crimson.

_Ba-bump, ba-bump,ba-bump!_

A look of shock overcame both of them, Matthew was stuck between euphoria that he had found his soul mate and bemoaning hisbad luck that his soul mate was such a reckless drunken idiot. Gilbert, however, after the shock had worn off, gave a smirk. This was his soul mate and he was adorable. Violet eyes and tufts of blonde hair stuck out from under the helmet he was wearing, with one strand sticking out and curling in the middle. Oh yes, this Gil could live with!

"WELL, HELLO, MY LITTLE BIRDIE!" he shouted. "FLYING IN TO SAVE THE AWESOME ME?" Matthew nearly got drunk off Gil's alcoholic breath.

"YOU'RE AN IDIOT, YOU KNOW THAT!" he shouted back. Gil continued to smirk.

"AN AWESOME IDIOT!"

"NO, JUST AN IDIOT!" Matthew could not hear Gil's 'kesese' laugh.

"YOU'RE NOT THE FIRST ONE TO SAY THAT!" Gil grinned. They were nearly up to the helicopter now and Ivan reached out to grabbed the hoist line to pull them into the helicopter. When they were safely aboard, Natalya turned the helicopter homeward.

"What did you think you were doing, you imbecile?" Natalya blasted Gilbert from the pilot seat. "We've got better things to do than rescuing idiots who climb mountains drunk!"

"Ja, not my most awesome moment," Gil admitted. "But something good did come out of it!" At which point, he grabbed Matthew, pulled him forward and kissed him. Natalya struggled not to lose control of the helicopter in shock while Ivan's jaw dropped.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Natalya gasped as the kiss broke. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Matthew blushed.

"Birdie here and I are soul mates," Gil announced, putting his arm around Matthew. Ivan looked surprised then gave his child-like smile while Natalya huffed.

"Brilliant timing!"she commented. "Rather you than me, Mećju! _(Matthew!)_"

* * *

When they landed, Francis and Spain were waiting at the Mountain Rescue base for their friend. Unfortunately so were the police as the owner of the mountaineering gear that Gil took was less than happy to have his equipment stolen and his mood dropped further when he found out it was still stuck up the side of the mountain and Matthew found himself driving his soul-mate's friends to the local police station and being shamelessly flirted with by Francis.

When they arrived, the owner of the gear was there, berating Gilbert for taking his stuff and losing it. Now he was in the warm and a little time had past, he was sobering up and the verbal abuse was making his head hurt. Matthew normally think that anyone who did what Gil had done deserved what he got but he was Matthew's soul mate so he felt he had to intercede.

"Look!" he said, cutting off the man's tirade. "I know Gil's been very stupid but if he replaces what you've lost on the mountain, how would that be? He was drunk and CLEARLY ..." he emphasised, glaring at Gil. "... not thinking at full capacity. So if he pays for everything, could we leave it at that!" The man gave it a moment's thought and reluctantly nodded.

"All right!" he agreed. "Although I don't know why you're helping this idiot out!" Matthew sighed.

"He's my soul mate," he admitted. The man muttered 'Poor bastard!'

* * *

Two hours and a caution later, it was dark and Matthew, Gilbert and his friends walked out of the police station after making arrangements to replace the stolen climbing gear and Matthew drove them back to their hotel. Spain and Francis said goodnight, eager for their beds and left Gil and Matthew alone.

"Want to come to my room?" Gil asked. Matthew's eyebrows rose.

"We've only just found each other!" he replied. "You move quick!"

"Just to talk!" Gil said. "We should get to know each other. After all, we're soul mates and we'll be spending the rest of our lives together. I need to prove to you that I AM awesome and not the idiot you think I am." Matthew had to admit that Gil had a point and before he knew it, he was on his way to Gil's room and they did not reappear for three days.

* * *

Matthew had the chance to see Gilbert when he was sober and he proved he was not a complete fool and Matthew found he liked Gil better when he was not drunk but he could still have his moments, like when he replaced the mountaineering equipment and Matthew found out that Gil had actually paid for it with his brother, Ludwig's credit card. Ludwig was going to be mad when he got his next bill.

After Gil's misdemeanour was finally settled, they returned to the hotel and went to the bar for a drink where they were joined by Francis and Antonio. Francis began flirting with a young woman called Katyusha, a blonde with blue eyes and her hair in a head-band. She was rather the plain but had two, BIG redeeming features which was why the Frenchman's eyes never rose to her face. Antonio took out his phone and rang his soul mate, Lovino and chatted with him, leaving Gil and Matthew to talk.

"I've got an awesome idea, Birdie!" Gil announced. "I want you to come home with me to meet mein bruder!"

"What's he like?" Matthew asked.

"Ludwig!" Gil considered the question. "He's a therapist! Serious and a bit stuffy but he's a good guy, you like him. He's responsible!"

"So I'm not going to have to rescue him off a mountain while he's drunk?" Matthew teased. Gil smirked.

"Not Ludwig!" Gil replied. "He's found his soul mate but Feli's blind and has issues, he never wanted to find his soul mate."

"Why not?" Gil shrugged.

"He figured Ludwig would be better off without him, I guess," he replied. Matthew thought that was a strange way to think but what did he know? He was not blind.

"So what do you say?" Gil asked. Matthew thought he would like to meet Ludwig's brother and then maybe he could introduce Gil to Alfred so he nodded.

"I'll need to arrange time off with the rescue team but I'd like to meet your brother," he replied. Gil grinned, gazing into Matthew's eyes.

"Awesome!"

"Be careful, oh Awesome One," Antonio had returned and sat down beside Gilbert. "You're getting gooey-eyed, amigo!"

"Leck mich am Arsch _(Kiss my ass)_, Toni!" Gil replied. "I still made it to the ledge so I won the bet. You call me The King of Awesomeness!"

"Whatever, Your Maj'ass'ty," Francis replied.

* * *

Matthew was allowed an absence of leave and Gil broke the news to Frances and Antonio that he would be cutting his holiday short to take his soul mate to meet his family. Antonio decided he would go as well and returned his soul-mate who just happened to be Ludwig's soul-mate's brother. Francis decided to stay and further his acquaintance with Katyusha. Francis flirted with everyone to cover heartache. He had fallen for a blind girl called Alice Kirkland and hoped that she could make his heart beat but she made his cousin, François's heart beat instead and Francis left to nurse a broken heart. Katyusha was not his soul-mate either and had found hers but that did not stop Francis from making up to her. Matthew did not think it was a good idea for Francis to play about with Katyusha like that, as she was Ivan's other sister and would not take kindly to anyone messing with her and could do some disturbing things with a pipe.

They left Canada and landed at the nearest airport to Gil's home early in the morning. Gil picked up his car and they drove to Gil's (and Ludwig's) home. No one was up when Gil unlocked the door and they went in so he dumped the suitcases and went upstairs to wake his bruder.

He crashed through Ludwig's bedroom door, yelling, "Hello, Bro-ha! Kesesese! Happy to see the Awesome Me!" Which resulted in his brother shooting up in bed and a man falling out of a bed beside his bruder's. A very naked man and Gil's eyes gleamed with mischief.

"Whoa, bruder! Finally getting some action!"

**And we're back to Chapter 4 of Love Is Blind! After mentioning how Gil and Matthew met, I thought it would be fun to write their story and I lacked an idea for Valentine's Day so here you go. If translations are wrong, blame Google Translate!**

**To maryranstadler1**** – Yeah, Feli's heart was always going to beat :) I couldn't leave my favourite Italian without a beating heart :'( I'm so happy you enjoy this story so much and I hope you enjoyed this Valentine's Day Special too. :D**

**To takuya**** – Thank you! :) Sometimes I think that sight can actually be a hindrance to gauging someone's personality as we get caught up in appearances so Feli was not so distracted and 'saw' Ludwig's soul through his other senses and Ludwig's actions so his heart was always going to beat, he just had to give it a chance. Not a bad title! :D I've had a few suggestions and what I don't use for the main title, I think I'll use for chapter title and I promise, credit will be given! ;)**

**To JulietVargas**** – Thank you so much! :D Yeah, I kind of get embarrassed when trying to write and it just doesn't sound right when I do so, like I said, I'll leave that to other writers. I like 'Till I see you again' and 'Fly my heart' could be a good chapter title. Like I said earlier, credit will be given. ;)**

**To Ariaprincess**** – Thank you! :D So is your picture! :3**

**To shadow of eyes**** – Yeah! And he causes quite a bit of trouble but he finds his soul mate and that's what counts! XD**

**Right I'm off to write the next chapter of Hetalia Tales 5:5 ( I am SO behind!) And, with luck, I can get started on the Alfred/Arthur story arc if Writer's Block doesn't hit me over the head so signing out with Love! **

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	9. Till I See You Again Pt 1:Fly My Heart

**And now on to the next story arc, the long awaited story of Alfred and Arthur! Hope you like!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

**Fly My Heart and Till I See You Again belongs to JulietVargas!**

_**Chapter 1 : Fly My Heart**_

_Twenty Years Earlier ….._

JFK International Airport was busy as the Williams-Joneses got off their plane after their vacation at Disneyland, a perfect place for Alfred Sr and Madeline Williams-Jones to take their four-year-old son, Matthew, who had the blonde hair and violet eyes of his mother,and three-year-old son, Alfred, who resembled his father with his sky blue eyes and also had blonde hair with a cowlick, sticking up at the front that seemed to say, 'make me stay down, I dare you!'. Alfred had been particularly excited about the holiday and he carried his new Mickey Mouse plush with him as they made their way to the luggage carousel and waited for the suitcases to arrive.

"Stay here, boys," Madeline told her sons. "Don't wander off!" Matthew did as he was told but Alfred soon grew bored as the suitcases began to appear but none seem to be theirs so he began to look around and, in the Check-in Area, he saw a boy, not much older than him with messy blond hair, standing at the windows, watching the planes coming in and, while his parents and brother's attention was elsewhere, he wandered over.

* * *

Three, nearly four-year-old Arthur Kirkland had wandered away from his family who were waiting for the Check-in Desk to open. His older brothers, who had been told to keep a eye on him, were being horrible and his younger brother was asleep so while their parents were checking the Departure Board for their plane to London, Arthur went wandering, his brothers too wrapped up in their own amusements to notice. He wandered over to the windows and watched the planes as they landed on the runway and taxied round to fuel up and take off again. He had been watching for a few minutes when he heard a boy's voice behind him.

"Hi!" Arthur turned to see a boy carrying a Mickey Mouse plush, a little younger than him with blonde hair that had a lock that defied gravity and the bluest eyes he had ever since as the boy stared back into his own emerald-green orbs and his chest felt funny.

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump!_

The other boy looked a little surprised and rubbed his own chest as Arthur continued to stare at the boy. The boy gave him a smile.

"I'm Alfred!" he said, clearly American. "What's your name?"

"Arthur!" he replied. Alfred gave another smile at the way Arthur spoke. It was funny, like the way he had some people speak at Disneyland. A lot of people spoke funny at Disneyland.

"Hi, Artie!" Alfred said. "Wanna go play?" Arthur looked back at his family. He really should stay with his family but something told him he should be with Alfred so he nodded. Alfred smiled and they went off to play.

* * *

The family's luggage finally travelled round the carousel and Alfred Sr picked them up, putting them on the luggage trolley. Madeline took Matthew's hand and went to take Alfred's only to find he was not there.

"Alfred!" she called out, looking round. "ALFRED!" Alfred Sr looked around as well but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Wait here with the luggage!" he said. "He can't have gone far!" And he went on the search.

* * *

Check-in finally opened and Scott and Alice Kirkland began to gather their brood together and that was when they realised that they were one short.

"Allistor," Scott asked his thirteen year old eldest son in a Scottish accent. "Where's Arthur?" Allistor who had shocking red hair, as did all the Kirkland brothers who took after their father, with the exception of Arthur who had his mother's hair and all had bright green eyes and huge eyebrows, looked around. His brothers, Rhys and Patrick looked as well.

"Ah, the wee shite's wandered off," Allistor groused in a Scottish accent as well. They had lived in Scotland for the first seven years of Allistor's life before moving around Britain for his father's work and he never lost the accent. "Why can't he just stay put? He's always wandering off!"

"He's barely four, Allistor," his mother scolded, carrying a sleeping, eight-month-old Seamus. "Of course, he wanders off! You were supposed to be watching him! Were you and your brothers picking on him again?"

"He's a weakling if he can't take a bit of teasing," Allistor groused.

"He's four, you're thirteen!" Alice snapped. "It's bullying and you should know better!" Scott faced Allistor, ten-year-old Rhys and six-year-old Patrick.

"Find him!" he ordered, sternly. "And don't pick on him when yer do!" His gaze promised dire retribution if they disobeyed and the boys rushed off. Scott turned to his wife.

"Stay here," he said and went to look for their errant second son. They needed to find him before they could check in and they only had a couple of hours. He just hoped that Arthur had not left the airport or, worse, been taken!

* * *

Alfred and Arthur played hide and seek among the chairs, laughing happily. Alfred wanted his green eyed, big eye browed friend to stay forever, felt that he should stay forever, that somehow, Artie was _his!_ But he wondered about that strange feeling in his chest, like someone was hitting a drum in there and it was not going away. He found Arthur hiding behind an artificial plant and pulled him out, giggling. They held hands and spun around in a circle, laughing.

Arthur was happy, happier than he ever was with his brothers, like he was where he was supposed to be. As if he and 'Alfie', as Alfred insisted he call him, were always meant to meet and never part again. He felt complete. And content.

"ALFRED!"

"OI! YER LITTLE SHIT!" Arthur nearly jumped out of his skin as his eldest brother ran up to him and grabbed him. "I'm in trouble because of yer and yer wandering off! Come on, we're checking in! I'm taking yer to Mum and Dad before yer land me any further in it!" Alfred Sr grabbed Alfred's hand and began to pull him away.

"You were told not to wander off, Alfred," his father scolded. "Now come on, we're going home!" As the two boys were pulled in different directions, they tried to hold on to each other's hands but they were pulled apart, trying to reach each other, even as distance was put between them, tears steaming down their faces and struggling to get back to each other, desperate not to be separated.

"ARTIE!"

"ALFIE!"

Eventually, they were pulled out of sight of each other and it would have an affect on both their lives.

* * *

Scott saw his son heading toward him with a crying, struggling Arthur and called to the other boys and his wife and they gathered together to head for the Check-in Desk but Arthur continued to weep and reach out in the direction that Allistor had dragged him from.

"Why is he crying?" Alice demanded as they went to the Departure Gate. "Allistor, did you give him a hard time when you found him?"

"Nah!" Allistor denied. "He was playing with some kid and he's throwing a tantrum because I took him away from him." Alice ruffled Arthur's hair.

"Never mind, Love!" she cooed. "You'll make more friends!" But Arthur continued to cry. They had to drag him on to the plane and it took off for home while Arthur cried himself to sleep.

* * *

The Williams-Joneses were on the road after they collected their car from where it was stored and Alfred had cried for an hour after being bundled into the car, fighting every inch of the way. Even now he was quiet which was unusual for him. Matthew was usually the quiet one as he was now, being asleep but Alfred was still awake, even after his crying fit. Madeline kept looking round at him as her husband drove them home and she noticed that Alfred kept rubbing his chest above the heart. After seeing this for the fifth time, Madeline turned to look at her son.

"Are you all right, Alfred?" she asked. Alfred rubbed his chest again.

"I feel funny," he said. "My chest is going bump, bump!" Madeline looked at her husband, warily.

"When did it start, sweetheart?" she asked.

"When I met Artie."

"Alfred, stop!" she said to her husband. He looked for a place and pulled over. Madeline got out of the car, opened Alfred's door and put her hand over his heart and felt the _ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump _of his three-year-old heart. She looked at her husband in shock.

"His heart's beating!" she exclaimed. Shock filled Alfred Sr's eyes, to be replaced with determination.

"Get in!" he ordered. "We're going back! We have to find that boy!" Madeline scrambled back into the car and Alfred Sr turned it back toward the airport.

When they got there, Alfred Sr bolted into the airport, looking for the little boy he had found his son with and, when he could not find him, he looked for the foul-mouthed Scottish red-head but there was no sign of him either. So he ran for the Information Desk, just as Madeline and the boys joined him, Matthew, still sleepy.

"I'm trying to find a passenger," he said to the woman behind the desk. "A little boy, three, four-years-old, green eyes, big eyebrows, we think his name's Artie. He was with a young teenager with red hair. Scottish!" The woman behind the desk looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I can't give out information about other passengers, I'm afraid." Alfred Sr looked desperate.

"You don't understand!" he replied. "We think the boy is my son's soul mate, we have to find him." He put his hand on Alfred's head. The woman looked down at the cute, blue-eyed three-year-old with sadness in her face.

"I'm sorry!" she apologised, again. "Even if I could give out information, that's too little to go on. You don't have a last name?" Alfred Sr looked down at Alfred.

"Did Artie tell you his last name?" Alfred shook his head. The woman sighed. This was really sad! The little boy had found his soul mate and lost him. What kind of life was he going to have?

"You can try the police," she suggested. "They might be able to track him down!" They could give the police their CCTV if they requested it and perhaps they could find the little boy's soul mate. She really hoped so. Alfred Sr looked defeated but thanked the woman anyway.

They did go to the police and they did get the CCTV but the most they could find out was the boy had gone to England and had arrived there. After that, they lost track! Alfred Sr and Madeline wondered what was going to happen to their son!

What was his life going to be like now?

* * *

On the plane bound for London, Arthur had folded up in his seat, over his legs in his sleep and Alice decided that he would wake up achy and cranky if left like that so she went to straighten him up. She put her hand on his chest and brought him back upright against the chair. That was when she felt something weird in his chest.

_It couldn't be!_

The _ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump_ beat against her hand as her young son slept on. She put her other hand over her mouth and her eyes filled with tears as she realised just what they had done to Arthur. She stroked his hair, guilty as Arthur continued to sleep with tear-stains still on his little cheeks. Why did they not realise why Arthur was so upset! He rarely made friends and certainly not in the length of time he had with the boy that Allistor had found him with.

Alice went to his eldest son's seat and woke Allistor who was asleep. He woke with a start and almost swore at the disturber until he saw it was his mother.

"Why'd yer wake me up, Mum?" he moaned.

"The boy you found Arthur with," Alice said, wasting no time. "What was he like?" Allistor shrugged.

"Just some little whelp!" he shrugged and settled back down but his mother was not about to let him.

"What did he look like?" she demanded. Allistor groaned.

"Who cares!" he griped.

"Allistor Caledonia Jones!" their mother only used their middle names when she lost patience with them so Allistor knew he was on thin ice. "You've already messed up today now answer me!"

"All right!" he replied, testily. "Blonde, blue eyes, some bloke called him Alfred! Why's it so important, any way?" Scott had noticed his wife talking to their oldest son in an agitated state and got out of his seat to see what the problem was.

"What's wrong, Alice?" he asked. Alice turned stricken eyes on him.

"Arthur's heart's beating!" she replied. Scott went into shock and disbelief.

"It can't be!" he denied. "He's too young!"

"It has to be the boy Allistor found him with!" Alice said. "Oh Lord, Scott! We've separated our son from his soul mate!" Scott went to Arthur's seat and put his hand over his heart and felt his son's heart beating and own beating heart almost fell silent with the shock. What had they done to their son!

When they reached London, they tried everything to find the little boy from JFK airport but they never found him and they had to deal with the aftermath.

* * *

"Do you like my picture, Artie?" Alfred asked, holding up the picture up to thin air. "It's of you!" On the paper was a child's drawing of a little boy with wheat coloured hair, bright green eyes and big eyebrows. Alfred smiled as if 'Artie' had praised his artistic skills and look at the same thin air as if he was being shown something.

"Yeah! That's great, Artie!" he said as Doctor Wolfgang Beilschmidt made a note in the file he was holding in his hands while he and Alfred's parents watched him play with his imaginary friend.

"Alfred!" he called to the now five year old. "Can you tell me what 'Artie' looks like?" Alfred smiled.

"I can show you!" he declared, standing up and walking to the councillor, putting the picture in his hand. As he went to draw more pictures with 'Artie', Wolfgang examined the picture and showed it to Alfred's parents.

"Does this look like any children you might have seen around Alfred?" he asked. Alfred Sr sighed.

"It looks like the boy from the airport," he replied. Alfred's parents had told Wolfgang about what happened at the airport and he nodded.

"I think it would be a bad idea to try to make Alfred give up 'Artie'," he advised. "Alfred might have been too young to understand what exactly happened to him when he met his soul mate but he made an instant connection with the real Artie and the separation was traumatic so Alfred's created this other 'Artie' to fill the void."

"So this is my fault!" Alfred Sr said, guiltily. Wolfgang shook his head.

"While it's true that what happened at the airport may have been a catalyst," he replied. "It's not uncommon for children Alfred's age to create companions for all kinds of reasons, sometimes for no reason at all, filling some need that the child might have. He might have made up an imaginary friend any way but, as we suspect losing his soul mate is the reason why Alfred created Artie, forcing Alfred to give him up might cause more harm than good. Imaginary friends usually fall away as the child gets older and they make new, real friends. I suggest you just give it time!"

"Can time heal the loss of a soul mate?" Wolfgang sighed.

"I wished it could!"

* * *

"COME ON, ALFIE!" Arthur shouted as he ran through the park followed by …... nothing. Allistor hated taking Arthur to the park because 'Alfie' always had to come with them so to avoid any funny looks, Allistor would sometimes pretend that he was 'Alfie'.

Allistor watched his six year old brother run around, looking back at his imaginary friend and groaned in embarrassment, knowing that this was partly his fault but how was he to know that the kid with Arthur had been his soul mate but since then, Arthur's constant companion was 'Alfie', a blonde, blue-eyed kid with a sticking up lock of hair, rather like the kid from the airport. It was embarrassing when Arthur spoke to 'Alfie' in public and he wanted to tell Arthur to stop it but their parents forbade it. Arthur's therapist suggested that they should allow the 'imaginary friends' phase run its course and that forcing Arthur to stop could harm him psychologically so they just had to wait it out. Allistor hoped it would stop soon so Arthur could just be a normal kid.

As normal as someone with a missing soul mate could be and Allistor felt a little guilt and fear of how his brother's life would turn out.

* * *

Two souls separated by an ocean, two souls alone, two souls in pain. It was a million to one chance that they would ever find each other again.

But there was that one chance!

**And that's Part 1! Poor Alfred and Arthur but they will meet again, that you can bet on but the path of True Love is never smooth and they will hit quite a few bumps. There will be an explanation for Allistor's unusual middle name, in fact for all the Kirkland brothers and yes, Alfred' therapist is Ludwig's grandfather.**

**To Ariaprincess**** – C: Thank you so much! I adore PruCan! (as if you couldn't tell :P) And I will certainly try! ;)**

**To maryranstadler1**** – I'm so happy! I love Gilbert too and I once dressed up a vampire Prussia for Halloween and freaked everyone out with my red eyes (contact lenses, of course) and I just had to give Gilbert his soul mate and, of course, who else but Matthew! :)**

**To tokyoghoul234**** – Thank you and here's your update :) As you see, I'm doing UsUk but I'm already coming up with ideas for RoChu so that will probably be next so stay tuned! ;)**

**To Normandy**** – He wouldn't be the Gilbert we know and love if he didn't XD and, of course, the rest of the BTT would be along for the ride! :P I think Gil probably does it on purpose to rile his straight-laced brother up a bit XP. In all fairness, Gil didn't leave the best impression on the rescue crew or the owner of the equipment he stole so they are going to feel sorry for Matthew but, as long as Matthew's happy with him, who cares what they think? ;)**

**To Dreamshipper229**** – Thank you for the praise :) And I hope Alfred and Arthur's story doesn't disappoint! ;)**

**To ArtemisIsis13**** – I know! I want to comfort them too. Poor Lovi blamed himself but Feli had wanted to climb the trees and it's not like Lovi pushed him out of them! :'( but, at least now they've talked it out and Lovi doesn't have to hide Antonio any more :) And I always planned for Feli's heart to start beating, for him to see Ludwig's soul with his heart rather than his eyes :3 And Ludwig clearly learn from past events so yeah, just as well for Gilbert that he did lock the door! ;P**

**Yeah, I think Matthew was stuck between 'Yay! I've found my soul mate!' and 'Omg! He's a drunken idiot!' I'm not fond of heights either DX and are you sure it was bravery and not bravado! :P And you may see Ivan and Natalya again ;) and yes, Francis watched out for Ivan's pipe! It was love at first sight for Francis with Alice but he looked into her eyes and, alas, it was not meant to be and she was a friend of Feli's, well remembered! :D but don't worry about our flirty Frenchman, he will find his soul mate! As for Alfred and Arthur, we'll see! ;)**

**I can't say anything about the next chapter because I haven't written it yet but I have an idea of where I'm going with it so wish me luck!**

**Till next week,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	10. TISYA Pt 2:First Impressions

**Hello guys! Not had the best week! I've caught a cold and feel like crap but here's the next chapter as promised. Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 2 : First Impressions**_

_Twenty years later..._

Twenty-four year old Arthur Britannia Kirkland hated airports!

Why, he did not know! Sure, they were crowded, generally full of obnoxious people with screaming or misbehaving children, you were in danger of being run over by luggage trolleys and it was depressing to see people welcome home their soul mates in a place where you met and lost your own but that could not be the reason he hated airports, could it?

Of course it could! Especially JFK!

_When Arthur was five, he was taught with other children his age in school about beating hearts and soul mates, he realised that was what the strange thumping in his chest was and when he was picked up from school, he ran up to his mother, excited._

"_Mum!" he cried. "Miss Biriant taught us about soul mates making our hearts beat, My heart's beating, isn't it!"_

_Alice sighed, resignedly. She knew that this was coming, that Arthur would learn about it all. She just wished that she could have had a little more time to prepare to tell her son that he had already found and lost his soul mate. How do you tell a five-year-old something like that?_

"_Where's my soul mate?" Arthur inevitably asked. "Who are they?" Alice closed her eyes in sadness._

"_I'll tell you later," she replied, hoping that Arthur might lose interest or, at least, give his parents a little time to decide what they were going to tell him. But they were not that lucky as Arthur ran in the house to where Scott was in his study, finishing some job related paper work._

"_Dad, my heart's beating," he cried. "Miss Biriant said that means I found my soul mate!" Scott looked up at Alice who gestured, helplessly._

"_Who's my soul mate, Dad?" Arthur asked. Scott took a deep breath and picked Arthur up, sitting him on his knee._

"_Arthur," he began. Oh, how does he say this? "We don't know who your soul mate is! We only know that it's a little boy called Alfred but we think he lives somewhere in America and we don't know where."_

"_He almost has the same name as my friend!" Arthur exclaimed, referring to 'Alfie' and then he frowned "But Miss Biriant says soul mates stay together forever. How can I do that if I can't find him?" Scott put his arms around his son and hugged him while Alice looked on with a tear in her eye._

"_I honestly don't know!" his father admitted. He did not know what else to say._

* * *

_When Arthur reached an age to truly understand what a soul mate really was and what he had lost, life became harder for him. School was particularly hard as he was either pitied or picked on by bullies, both of which he hated and he became withdrawn and reclusive from his school mates. When he was ten, how he came to meet and lose Alfred was explained to him and that was when he developed his dislike of airports. His relationship with his older brother, never particularly close, also suffered. It was a while before it got back to just the 'My big brother's a git!' stage._

_Arthur did not give up immediately on find Alfred again. Every time he met someone with the name Alfred, he would ask them if they had met and lost their soul mate but they had either not met their soul mate yet or knew who they were and then would come the pity glances and, after one glance too many, he stopped asking and gave up on ever finding his soul mate._

Arthur grimaced as he was was almost knocked over by someone who rushed by in a blonde blur.

"Sorry, dude!" the blonde man shouted back, racing for the Arrivals Gate. Arthur just huffed.

_Americans!_

Arthur wished that he had not left Britain, wished he was not at this airport, wished he had not taken the job with the Hetalia Advertising Agency. but he had so he should see the job through. He did not want to be known as the one who baulked at the first hurdle.

Now, if he could just find the unpunctual git that they were supposed to have sent to meet him!

* * *

_Damn!_ Alfred F Jones thought as he ran through the people in the airport. _I should have been here before the plane landed. I hope this guy isn't too pissed! God, I hate airports! Especially JFK!_ He reached the Arrivals Gate and took out a sign that had 'Kirkland' printed on it and held it up, not noticing that it was upside down. He was just in time to greet the last of the stragglers but none of them took any notice of the sign.

_Damn! I've missed him!_ Alfred's spirits fell. _Feliks is going to be so mad!_ Feliks Lukasiewicz was Alfred's boss and what he did know about making things look good to the public was not worth knowing but he could be such a drama queen when things did not go his way. Alfred did not fear for his job, just his sanity!

But Alfred had to admit that Feliks was understanding of Alfred's soul mate issue without pitying him over it as Feliks was a big believer that Fate would not give Alfred a soul mate and force him to spend his life without him. Fate was not that big a bitch although Alfred thought she had to be to do this to him in the first place.

Alfred was also taught about heartbeats and soul mates when he was five and stunned the teacher when he announced that his heart was already beating and, at first, his teacher, Miss Marciea had not believed him but he insisted that she check his chest and she felt his heart beat.

"_That's wonderful, Alfred!" she smiled. "Who is your soul mate?" Alfred frowned._

"_I don't know!" he replied. Miss Marciea's smile flattened a little at the thought that Alfred did not know who his soul mate was but reasoned that his parents must. The idea that this adorable little boy would be spending his life alone was just too sad!_

"_Ask your parents when they come for you, ask them," she said. "I'm sure they know!" Alfred nodded and promised to do that._

_Madeline came to pick up Alfred and Matthew and Alfred greeted her with the one question she did not want to hear._

"_Mom. Who's my soul mate?" Madeline did not know why she thought she could have avoided this, Alfred was bound to ask at some point but she was just glad that Alfred had not asked in front of his father. Alfred Sr was finding it hard to deal with the guilt he felt over Alfred's soul mate and this could send him into a downward spiral._

"_Get in the car!" she said. "Alfred, you can ride shotgun because I need to talk to you!"_

"_Yay! Shotgun!" Alfred cried as Madeline took his booster seat from the back seat and put it in the front seat while Matthew climbed into his. Madeline strapped Matthew into his seat while Alfred climbed into the front and then she buckled Alfred up, got into the driver's seat and then they were off!_

"_Alfred!" Madeline began and faltered for a moment, she really did not want to be the one doing this. "The truth is …... we don't know who your soul mate is. You met each other and then you were parted. We don't know where he is or who he is exactly except it was a little boy called Artie that went to England but that's all we could find out!" Alfred frowned._

"_Like my friend!" he declared. " I have to find him! He's my soul mate! Does Dad know who he is?" Alice's hands gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles going white!_

"_Alfred, you can't ask him that!" she insisted. "Your father was very upset about it and he doesn't know anything else about your soul mate! You'll only upset him again it you ask him about it! Please, Alfred! Promise me that you'll won't ask your father about your soul mate!" That worried Madeline more than anything! Alfred Sr blamed himself for the loss of Alfred's soul mate and eventually took to drinking when he dwelt on the matter. Fortunately, he was not a nasty drunk but he became severely depressed. Madeline protected the boys as much as she could but they were bound to see something._

_Alfred had seen his father's state sometimes, although he did not know why but he did not want to cause his Dad to be that way again so he promised not to bring his soul mate up._

* * *

_When Alfred was eleven, he heard the full story of what happened at JFK airport and why his Dad felt so bad about it. Some would think, at eleven, that Alfred would react badly to the news but Alfred had seen what the mistake had done to his father over the past eight years and he told his father to stop blaming himself, he could not have know! A rather grown-up attitude from an eleven year old who did not want to see his father punish himself any more. He had seen enough of it!_

_As he went through high school, there were people who thought Alfred's situation was a good source of ridicule but Alfred did not suffer bullies likely and they soon learnt that if they were going to dish it out, they had to learn to take it and eventually they left him alone. When his school friends began to find their soul mates, Alfred threw himself into sports to hide his pain and he took a female friend who had not yet found her soul mate to the prom but everyone knew that he would rather be there with his unknown soul mate and Alfred had to run a gauntlet of pity. Matthew did what he could to help his brother, despite being somewhat overlooked by their parents in their efforts to make life for their younger son more bearable. Matthew sometimes felt bitter about it but he reflected that he was luckier than his brother and he sometimes wondered what would have happened if he had been the one who wandered away that day! _

_Alfred still held out hope that he would one day find his lost soul mate and his heart leapt whenever he heard the name Artie or anything like it including Arthur but when he questioned the person with that name it was always the same. 'No. I haven't found my soul mate yet!' or ' My soul mate's at home, I'm sorry. I hope you find him soon!' With every negative answer, Alfred's beating heart cracked a little until he decided no more! A bright smile could mask only so much pain and he resigned himself to a life alone._

As the last person left the Arrivals Gate without even looking at Alfred, Alfred had to admit that he had probably missed the guy that was arriving from Britain to join their New York branch and he was going to get his ear chewed off by Feliks.

A tap on the shoulder had he swinging round to face a man about his age with messy blonde hair, green eyes, massive eyebrows and a disgruntled expression. Alfred began feeling a slight sense of de ja vu, as if he knew the guy from a long time ago or someone like him but it was like looking at a photograph that had been left in the sun and the colours had been leached away until barely discernible blobs were left and you struggled to see what they were but Alfred could not remember seeing this guy before.

The man had his suitcase with him and had obviously been looking for Alfred. He stared at Alfred for a moment, then looked down at the upside-down sign Alfred was carrying, took it from his hands and put it back the right way up.

Arthur had decided to collect his suitcase before looking for this man, Jones, he had been told should have been waiting for him. He finally wandered back to the Arrivals Gate and saw the blonde man who had almost knocked him over, trying to see if anyone else was coming out. It could only be him!

He went up to the man, tapping him on the shoulder and the man turned and Arthur found himself staring into sky blue eyes. The young man was close to his age with blonde hair a little darker that his own with a weird cowlick that decided that gravity was not it's boss and Arthur was struck by strange feelings of familiarity but it was like seeing an old sepia picture of an ancestor that had faded to yellow. You might recognise features that you or some of your family possess, the shape of the eyes or the nose, the curve of the chin but the entire face, as a whole, completely unfamiliar.

He came out of the mini trance he had slipped into and looked down at the sign he was holding, forcing himself not to smirk as he saw his own name upside down. He took the sign, turned it the right way up and shoved it back into the man's hands.

"Jones?" he asked, although he was sure this was the guy sent to meet him. Jones nodded and grinned.

"That's me!" he announced. "So you must be Kirkland, right!"

"Obviously!" Arthur replied, irritated by the American's boisterousness and thinking that this just capped an already bad day. He had endured a trip of over three thousand miles on a mode of transport he despised, to arrive in the airport he hated most, only to be almost mowed down by the bloke who had been sent to meet him who had also been late. Arthur could only hope that the hotel that the Agency had arranged would be an improvement.

Alfred, not always known for reading the atmosphere, got the impression that this Kirkland guy was not in the best of moods so, as he picked up the guy's suitcase, tried to make things better by making small talk as he lead the guy to his car.

"Okay, Mr Kirkland," he smiled as friendly as possible. "So what do I call ya? I'm Alfred F, by the way!"

Arthur's hand froze on the door handle and his beating heart stalled. Alfred! Could he be the Alfred from so long ago? Should he ask? No, it was probably not him and Arthur could not take another pitying glance or worse, Alfred F Jones not shutting up about it all the way to the hotel. Besides the fact he was annoying!

"Mr Kirkland will do," he muttered and got in the car.

_'Wow!'_ Alfred thought. _'This guy's got a serious case of up himself!'_ He got in the car and drove out of the airport car park. While on the road, he decided to try again.

"So _Mr_ Kirkland," he said as the traffic light in front of them turned mercifully green before they reached it so they did not have to stop. "You're from England! Which part?"

"London!" was the clipped response. Getting conversation from this guy was like getting blood from a stone.

"Really!" Alfred said, like it was the most startling revelation in the world. "What about your family? Brothers, sisters?" Arthur groaned. All he wanted was some peace and quiet Why he did have to end up with a talker. And a nosy one at that!

"Does the F in your name stand for Forward?" he groused. Alfred's eyebrows rose.

_'Forget up himself. This guy's got a stick up his ass the size of a tree trunk!' _Alfred could not wait to drop _Mr Kirkland_ off at his hotel. Or over a cliff, which ever came first!

"Just making conversation, dude!" he replied. "You've got a real bug up your butt!" Arthur snorted.

"I've just spent over six hours on a mode of transport I hate!" he grumbled. "I absolutely despise airports and the annoying git sent to meet me was late. Forgive me if I'm not all sunshine and smiles!"

"Are you always this unfriendly?"

"Yes! Get used to it!" Alfred decided not to say anything more until they reached the hotel and was just glad that he was not the one who had to work with this pain in the ass! He was told to meet him, take him to the hotel and pick him up to bring him to the office tomorrow. Then his contact with _Mr Kirkland_ would be over and he would be someone else's problem.

Alfred pulled up outside the hotel that the Agency had arranged for Arthur and they got out, Alfred pulling Arthur's suitcase out of the trunk and handing it to him.

"I'll be picking you up tomorrow," Alfred told him. "I'll take you to the Agency to meet Mr Lukasiewicz, then we don't need to see each other which I'm sure you're pleased about!"

"Delighted!" Arthur huffed. Alfred rolled his eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," he said, getting back into the car. He thought he heard the Brit say _'Can't wait!'_ as Arthur turned and went into the hotel. The stuck-up Brit had soured Alfred's mood and he could not wait to get home to the pizza and beer with his name on it, sitting in his refrigerator.

* * *

Next morning saw no improvement in Arthur's mood as jet-lag kicked in and Alfred was late again. How the git managed to keep his job, Arthur had no idea but Arthur's mood showed as Jones pulled up outside Arthur's hotel.

"Get in, dude!" Alfred called to him. "We're running late!"

"And who's fault is that!" Arthur snapped, getting in. He barely had time to put his seatbelt on before Alfred shot away from the curb and mixed with the scary looking traffic. Arthur was thrown about as Alfred took corners a little faster than Arthur would have like.

"Slow down, you idiot!" he screamed as they took a corner almost on two wheels.

"Can't, dude," Alfred replied. "We'll be late!"

"I'd rather be late than dead!" One hair-raising ride later, which had Arthur wishing he was back on the plane again, they arrived outside a skyscraper with _Hetalia Advertising Agency _in big letters on the front of it. Arthur almost fell out of the car in his haste to get away of it and it's maniac driver.

"I'm never getting into a car with you again!" he swore. "You know that peddle, the one you ignored. IT'S CALLED THE BLOODY BRAKE!"

"Chill out, dude!" Alfred said, getting out of the car. "I got us here on time!"

"We very nearly didn't get here at all!" Arthur retorted. Alfred sighed. This guy was a born complainer and he could not wait to offload him onto whoever Feliks was going to dump him with and lead a still grumbling Arthur into the building. They took the elevator to the twelfth floor and, almost the moment they got off, they were greeted by a friend of Alfred's.

"Good morning, Alfred!" a man with brown hair and green eyes said in a Lithuanian accent as they passed.

"Yo! Toris, dude!" Alfred replied. "How's it hanging, bro?"

_Yo! Dude! How's it hanging!_ Could Alfred act any more unprofessional? was Arthur's thought as they made their way to an office with _Feliks Lukasiewicz_ on the door and Alfred just burst in without knocking. Arthur was appalled at the lack of manners.

"Yo! Feliks! Boss man!" Alfred cried out to the man behind the desk. Arthur could see the man was blonde, a lighter blonde that either Alfred or himself and had bright green eyes like himself but he looked a little girlish. "I brought the limey for you!" Arthur scowled at the back of Alfred's head and waited for 'Feliks's' response.

"Righteous!" Feliks replied, enthusiastically with a Polish accent. Arthur began to see how Alfred had got away with so much for so long. "It's, like, totes, great to have you here, Arthur! Welcome to our, totes, fabulous team!" Arthur was regretting this already.

"Your name is Arthur!" Alfred exclaimed, using the first serious tone since Arthur had met him and Alfred went silent, just looking at Arthur and Arthur wondered what his problem was.

Alfred still reacted whenever a name remotely like Artie came up and he could not help but wonder what if ….. But Alfred was sick of disappointment and besides, Arthur was such a stuck-up grumble-butt with repressed emotions and he would probably laugh or take offence if Alfred was to ask him and Alfred was not going to set himself up to be laughed or scorned at! And he did not want another heart-crushing disappointment and he had long since resigned himself that he was not going to find his soul mate and it probably was not this guy any way.

"Yes," Arthur replied. "What of it?" Alfred just shook his head.

"Nothing!" he replied. "Can I call you Artie?"

"No!" was the short reply. Alfred did not know why he even asked that. Like he wanted to call this stuck-up ass by the same name as his soul mate any way but Arthur responded so sharply, Alfred almost wished he was working with Arthur so he could call him that, just to wind him up.

"Awwh, come on!" he said, tweaking the tiger's tale. "I'll let you call me Alfie!"

"DEFINITELY NOT!" that came out even more virulently. There was no way Arthur would call Alfred by his soul mate's name, no way in Hell and Arthur really hoped he was not working with this git! He would be a basket case or a murderer within a month.

That was when Feliks, who had not read a particle of the atmosphere, dropped the bombshell that had both men wanting to scramble out the door.

"Well, I hope you guys, like, hit it off," he said. "Because you're, totes, working together!"

"WHAT!"

"No way!" Alfred exclaimed. "I'm already working with Kiku!"

"Kiku's, like, requested time off," Feliks replied. "He, like, totally found his soul mate! Hercules Kapusi, the Greek guy down in the Art Department!"

"The guy with the cat on his head who falls asleep standing up?" Arthur looked at Alfred. Huh!

"That's him!" Feliks replied and Arthur wondered if he had wandered in to an advertising agency or a lunatic asylum. "So, while Kiku and Hercules are off, like, getting to know each other, Arthur will be, totes, filling in for Kiku!"

Arthur just stared at Alfred. Did he seriously have to put up with this loud, overgrown man-child with the self-control of a hurricane? This was going to be a nightmare!

Alfred could not believe this! He was trapped with a stuck-up, sour-tongued Brit with emotional constipation, caterpillar eyebrows and a permanent scowl!

_How am I going to work with him?_ They both thought at the same time!

**What a reunion, eh! They haven't made the best impression on each other and they don't know they're soul mates yet! The teachers names, Biriant and Marciea are anagrams of Britain and America, the closest I could came to anything that sounded like names. I haven't really decided just what Arthur and Alfred's jobs are in the Agency yet, we'll see later.**

**To Ariaprincess**** – I'm so pleased you think so, it was what I was going for! :) I'm glad you enjoyed it, despite it not being one of your ships. And I will try, despite being a sneezing, coughing snotty mess right now! :=(**

**To maryranstadler1**** – Yeah, it was great until a younger relative stole my cloak when she got cold. Halloween can be nippy in Britain and I'll never understand why they make kids costumes with thin, cold material. Fortunately, my cloak was made of wool so she was warm and I was cold! DX. Poor Arthur and Alfred! And now they're so close but don't know it because they refuse to ask the question! Stubborn idiots!**

**To Dreamshipper229**** – I'm so happy! XD Yeah, that scene was always going to be a heart-breaker :'( but you haven't seen that last of Allistor yet, I have plans for him to be a part of this story, although it might not be for a while yet but he is coming back! :D Now they have met again and Arthur's tsundere nature has got them off to a flying start! Not! XP And thank you, I do my best! :)**

**To New Prussia**** – I know! I hated doing that to my little chibis DX but, without it, there's no story but I promise them a happy ending! :)**

**To Normandy**** – Yup! And it's nice to know his grandson will following in his footsteps! :D Well, we've had the intervention but it'll take a miracle to get them to like each other right now! XP And who knows what it'll take for them to find out the truth! As for Allistor, he will redeem himself, you'll see! ;)**

**To JulietVargas**** – You're welcome! XD Your suggestions fitted so well and I'm planning on using 'The Tell-tale Heart' suggested by takuya but more suggestions are welcome! Thank you, I was quite happy with the way the first chapter turned out. As children, Arthur and Alfred connected and, although they don't realise it, as adults they're mirroring each other again, proving they're still connected. Too bad, they're mirroring each other thinking what a pain the other is! XP **

**To ArtemisIsis13**** – They both needed a big hug, didn't they! Now they just need their heads banging together! :P Unfortunately, kids their age do wander off and it's easy to lose them in places like airports and I guess it never crossed their parents minds that three year olds could find their soul mates so it's an easy but tragic mistake to make and poor Alfred Sr's really beat himself up about it :( And you're not rambling, there is a connection between Arthur's mother Alice and Blind Alice. They're aunt and niece through Scott and Blind Alice is Arthur's cousin and I might either explain in this story or do a one-shot, I haven't decided yet O_o . I thought they would definitely have imaginary friends (especially Arthur). As you see, Arthur coped by becoming tsundere-ish and Alfred hides it all behind a grin and their reunion wasn't quite as copasetic as it could have been :(. Let's hope things improve!**

**And we're done! Let's hope Alfred and Arthur begin to see some of each other's better qualities and that there's more to each other and a tired, jet-lagged Brit and an energetic, over-the-top American and, of course, closer to finding out about their connection!**

**So till next time,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	11. TISYA Pt 3 : Good Advice And Pink Ponies

**I can't believe it! Fourteen reviews since the last chapter! FOURTEEN! XO I've never received so many in the space of a week for one story, I'm so happy! XDDD Thank you, guys! You've made my day, week, month, year! Oh hell, you've made my LIFE! With so many, I'll answer as many reviews as I can through PM, the others I'll do here otherwise it'll take me forever to get this story out!**

**With that said, enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 3 : Good Advice And Pink Ponies**_

Arthur was ready to bang his head off the desk he was working at with the American loud-mouth he was stuck with. It was their job to come up with ideas for advertising products or other things and, right now, they had to come up with an idea for advertising the virtues of using renewable fuels to cut down on the Green House Affect and Arthur quickly realised that Alfred had a superhero fetish as he insisted that the central character be Green Fuels Man, a superhero protecting the world from Global Warming!

"For the last time!" Arthur huffed. "It's a stupid, infantile idea! We need to send a serious message, not comic book cartooning!"

"Serious is a bummer, dude!" Alfred declared. "People will switch channels every time the advert comes on. Make it fun and people will stay and watch!"

"And not take the message seriously!" Arthur declared. "We need to make an impact, even shock people to make them face the facts!"

"And people will definitely switch channels!" Alfred replied. "Make it something fun, people will watch and they'll see it again and again and it'll stick in their heads."

"They'll see it as a joke!" Arthur said, crossing his arms across his chest. "And then they consider it unimportant!"

"At least it's an idea, Artie?" Alfred replied, just to rile Arthur up. "You haven't come up with anything yet!" Arthur fumed.

"First, it's Arthur!" he stated. "ARRRTHURRR! And second, we've just started! And I'm telling you, the superhero idea is ridiculous!"

"Whatever, ARRRTHURRR!" Alfred mocked. "I'm gonna go get some lunch! Come with if you wanna!" Arthur cringed at Alfred's speech.

"No, thank you!" he groused. "I'll enjoy the peace from your atrocious grammar!" Alfred snorted.

"Wow, your hobby must be stuffing your shirts," he said. "Smell you later!" He left, thinking that Arthur must be twenty-four, going on sixty-five because he was like a grumpy old man.

_'Overgrown brat!' _thought Arthur!

* * *

As Alfred made his way to the elevator, Toris began to walk beside him, going to lunch himself and they got on the elevator together.

"So what's the new guy like?" Toris asked as the elevator descended.

"He's so uptight," Alfred replied. "If he swallowed lumps of coal, he'd crap out diamonds! He won't even listen to my ideas!"

"The ones involving superheroes?" Toris asked. Alfred looked round in surprise.

"How'd ya know, dude?"

"Lucky guess!" Toris smiled. Alfred always tried to get the superhero idea through. Kiku's approach was to consider it and then steer Alfred into other ideas but it sounded like this Kirkland was being more confrontational about it. Perhaps he should give Kirkland some advice about handling Alfred. He did good work once you got him off the superhero idea!

"I swear, I'll go mad if I have to work with him for very long," Alfred promised, leaning back and deliberately thumping the back of his head against the elevator wall. "I won't survive until Kiku comes back!"

"I think you should give Kirkland time to settle in," Toris suggested. "I mean, you met him from the plane so he was probably tired and today, he's probably jet-lagged! Give him time to get over it and, you never know, you might like him better." The elevator stopped and the doors opened with a _ding!_

"Whatever, dude!" Alfred replied, stepping out. "I'm off to Mac D's! See you later!" Toris waved him off and left himself to go to the small café he always frequented. He wondered if Alfred and Kirkland would ever get along!

* * *

Arthur decided to take the opportunity to look around and get to know some of the people he would be working with. He wandered down to another floor where they did photo-shoots for adverts for magazines and billboards. As he wandered down a corridor, he turned when he heard someone shout 'LOOK OUT!' to see three brown creatures, decorated with pink ribbons, running down the corridor toward him. He flattened himself against the wall as they ran by him, followed by young two men running after them.

Both were blonde, one had blue eyes with eyebrows that rivalled his and the other had violet, the violet-eyed man stopped when he reached Arthur while his companion continued his pursuit of the pink ribbon adorned creatures.

"Are you all right?" he asked with an east European accent while Arthur stared in the direction the creatures had taken.

"Were those _ponies?_" he asked, unsure of what he had seen. The man gave an embarrassed chuckled.

"Yes," he replied. "At Mr Lukasiewicz's request! I'm Raivis Galante, by the way!" He held his hand out for Arthur to shake.

"Arthur Kirkland!" Arthur replied but looked back at the corridor that was now empty. "But _ponies!_"

"They're being used in a shoot!" Raivis explained. "Feliks has a thing for ponies. And the colour pink!" Arthur decided there and then that he was in a madhouse and his boss was a lunatic.

"Oh, you're the new guy!" Raivis realised. "How are you settling in?"

"I've been paired up with a child in a twenty+ year old's body!" Arthur replied, candidly. "With a superhero obsession!"

"Oh, you're working with Alfred," Raivis replied with a tone that spoke of past experience. Arthur got the feeling that the superhero theme was one that cropped up quite often.

"So he is obsessed with superheroes!" It was a statement, not a question.

"Well," Raivis replied. "There's some justification! My friend, Toris, went to school with Alfred and Alfred was the one who always stood up to bullies, both on his own behalf and others. The way he saw it, if he had the strength to stand up to the wrong doers, he should use it. Like Spider-man! With great power comes …."

"...Great responsibility!" Arthur replied. "But it's been a few years since he was at school!"

"Doesn't matter to Alfred!" Raivis said. "Toris said it was Alfred's way of compensating for something lacking in his life but he didn't elaborate what it was and I didn't consider it my business!" Arthur vaguely wondered what it was Alfred was lacking but did not consider it his business either.

"I'm not sure how I can work with someone like Jones," he said. "He's too chaotic!" Raivis chuckled.

"Just give him time for his excess energy to burn off," he advised. "He's a lot calmer and easier to work with after that and you'll like him when you get to know him better. He's a good friend who'll do anything for those he cares about." Arthur was spared having to give a reply when the other man walked back up to them.

"The ponies are secured in an empty office," He told Raivis.

"Good!" Eduard replied. "We can get them back to the photo studio. Arthur, this is my colleague and soul mate, Peter Sealand! Peter, this is Arthur Kirkland! He just started today!" Raivis held out his hand and Arthur shook it.

"Please to meet you!" Arthur greeted. Peter nodded.

"Are you working with Alfred Jones?" he asked. "You'll like Alfred! And he's a good worker!"

Everyone seemed to be singing the praises of his new workmate and Arthur wondered if it was his jet-lag that was making him irritated with Alfred. Maybe after a good night's sleep, he could judge Alfred in a more positive light.

If only he was called something other than Alfred. Arthur would need to get past that!

* * *

An hour later, Alfred returned, carrying a bag and a beverage, stepping off the elevator and he encountered his boss. Feliks was fluttering around here and there, seeing how his favourite projects were getting on. He spotted Alfred and hurried to the side of one of his favourite employees.

"So, Alfred," he chirped. "How are you and Arthur, like, getting along?" Alfred shrugged.

"He's not the friendliest person I've even met," Alfred admitted. "Toris thinks he might just be jet-lagged and that's why he's so grumpy." Feliks nodded.

"Lithy's usually, totes, right about these things," he agreed. He often called Toris 'Lithy' because Toris was originally from Lithuania and, more importantly, he was Feliks's soul mate, not that Toris used that to his advantage, he was not the type. "Could be worse, though! That could actually, like, be his personality and he could have been 'Artie'! You have asked him, haven't you?" Alfred remained silent, unusual for the boisterous American.

"Haven't you?" Feliks pressed. Alfred shook his head.

"It won't be him!" he replied. "It never is and, even if there was a possibility that it was him, there hasn't been a friendly moment to ask him. I'm not going to find my soul mate, Feliks! I have to face it, he's gone!"

"He has if you, like, give up trying, Alfred!" he advised. "He could be out there somewhere or he could, like, be here in this building. You should, totes, ask Arthur out for a friendly drink, talk to him and, when you, like, know him better, ask him!"

Alfred thought over the advice. Should he give it, at least, one more go? If he was going to do that then he had to get Arthur to the point where he would accept such a invitation and he was about to take Toris's advice and take the first step.

* * *

Arthur had managed to grab a drink and a snack from the vending machines down the corridor but found neither particularly appetising and he regretted not going to lunch with Jones. Yes, the man had irritated him from the moment they had met but Arthur had to be honest that when they first met, Arthur had been tired from his journey and, today, he was feeling the jet-lag. Perhaps, after he had a good-night's sleep, he might be able to view Jones with an unbiased eye.

But, right now, he was hungry and still tired, which was probably why he could not concentrate on his work, hence the lack of ideas. But the superhero idea was still stupid!

A brown paper bag landed on his desk and a takeaway cup was put down beside it. Arthur looked up to see that Alfred had returned.

"This is a good company to work for," he said. "But the vending machine food sucks so I got ya something from this coffee shop down the block. I figured you'd want tea, being English, and there's a BLT sandwich in the bag if you like those!" Arthur was a little taken aback by the American's consideration, considering that he knew he had not been all that friendly to him.

"Thank you!" Arthur replied, taking a sip from the cup and finding it more than tolerable, especially compared to the tea coloured hot water that the vending machine served. He opened the bag to find a well made sandwich and his hunger grew at the sight of it. "That's nice of you! I'm sorry for the way I've been behaving! I'm just tired!"

"And jet-lagged," Alfred added. "Toris said ya might be. Look! Why don't we start again?" Alfred held out his hand to Arthur. "Hi, I'm Alfred F Jones!" Arthur chuckled, took Alfred's hand and shook it.

"Hello!" he replied. "I'm Arthur B Kirkland!"

"What does the B stand for?" Alfred asked and Arthur blushed.

"What does the F stand for?" he deflected. Admitting his middle name was Britannia was a little embarrassing but he and all his brothers had weird middle names due to his father wanting to name them after their places of birth and his mother wanting to use the old names. So Allistor was Caledonia, Rhys was Cymru after being born in Wales while they were on holiday in Llandudno. Patrick was born in Dublin when his father was sent there on a job so he was called Eire as was Seamus who was born on another trip to Ireland and Arthur was born in London.

Alfred laughed as Arthur bit into the sandwich, partly so he did not have to answer Alfred and partly because he was really hungry. It is funny how things taste better when you're really hungry, except out of vending machines, of course!

"Thank you for this," Arthur said, after he had swallowed his bite and indicated to the sandwich. "How much do I owe you for it?" Alfred waved that off.

"It's on me!" he replied. "Call it a 'Welcome to America!' gift. Speaking of, why don't we go for a drink tomorrow night and get to know each other properly?" Alfred would have said tonight but he thought things might go a lot smoother if Arthur had a good-night's sleep and time to get over his jet-lag. Arthur considered it. He and Jones would be working together for a while and it would be better if they could get along with each other.

"All right," he agreed.

"Cool!" Alfred exclaimed. "It's a date!" Then blushed, wondering why he said that. Arthur looked up and turned bright pink as well. "I I I mean it sounds like a plan!" he backtracked. Arthur nodded, not knowing what to say to that. Behind Arthur, Alfred could see Feliks, who had been watching and heard everything, give Alfred two thumbs up.

Then, suddenly there were shouts and screams and Alfred and Arthur turned to see the pink ribbon adorned ponies, who seemed to be the reincarnation of Houdini, had escaped again and had somehow got on to the elevator and made it up to their floor. Everyone scattered as the ponies trotted through the desks except Feliks who ran toward the ponies, squealing with delight.

Another normal day at The Hetalia Advertising Agency!

**Where there's Feliks, there's ponies! That is an unwritten law of the universe as is, if ideas are needed to advertise combating Global Warming, Alfred will suggest a superhero! XP Now to those reviews I can't answer by PM!**

**To Amawesomereviewr**** – You and everyone else, I think! XD And I will keep writing, promise!**

**To A Person**** – Word of warning if you're going to continue reading this, I am an evil user of cliffhangers XP Thank you so much and here's your update! :)**

**To Normandy**** – Totally clueless! But I think time and disappointment have dulled their memories but lovely Feliks is pushing for Alfred to try again and he's got his pink ponies to help him :P Give Kissa Mau a cuddle from me! :3**

**Next week, Alfred and Arthur go on their date? and Alfred pops the question (no, not that question!) Wait until you see Arthur's response!**

**Next week can't come to soon! (yes, it can! I need time to write it and I have still have to write HT6:5 by Sunday! DX)**

**Till then,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	12. TISYA pt 4 : The Tell-tale Heart

**And here we are again! Ready to go! Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

**_'The Tell-tale Heart' _belongs to Takuya!**

_**Chapter 4 : The Tell-tale Heart**_

It took a while to get the ponies back to where they belonged, not to catch them and take them back down to the studio but to separate Feliks from them while he squealed like a fangirl but finally , to his ever-lasting sadness, the ponies were sent to the depths of the eleventh floor.

As they got back to work, Alfred did not mention superheroes, deciding to wait until Arthur was feeling revitalised and in a better frame of mind before bringing that up again. There were other ideas but nothing that really popped. And then half way through the afternoon Arthur's jet-lag caught up with him and he fell asleep.

As Arthur slept, Alfred looked at him and wondered should he ask Arthur if he could possibly his soul mate and he realised that he could find out if Arthur's heart was even beating right now. Arthur was deep in Dreamland and unlikely to wake so Alfred could find out if Arthur had even found his soul mate. He debated whether or not to do this and slowly he put his ear to Arthur's chest, half hoping to find that Arthur's heart was beating and half dreading it.

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump!_

So Arthur had found his soul mate! Arthur had not mentioned anyone in his life but that was not so surprising, after all, they had hardly know each other for two days and the first day was only for an hour, hardly enough time to swap life stories so Arthur could know who his soul mate is.

But then again, maybe not!

Alfred looked down at his sleeping colleague, wondering if this was his soul mate. He looked the right age, he had a similar name and there was that feeling of de ja vu at the airport.

Could it be him?

He was pulled out of his wondering by the sight of Feliks coming through the offices and he went to wake Arthur. Feliks would tolerate a lot of things but sleeping at work was not one of them.

"Feliks is coming!" Alfred warned, giving Arthur a shake. "Wake up!"

"Hmm...what?" Arthur muttered as he opened his eyes.

"Feliks is coming," Alfred repeated. "Don't let him find out you've been sleeping!" Arthur rubbed his eyes and sat up straight, just before Feliks burst into their office.

"I was, like, totes thinking," he said. "As Arthur is, like, tired and jet-lagged, he should, totes, leave early and and, like, get some sleep. Alfred, you should, totes, take him!" Before he left, unseen by Arthur, Feliks gave Alfred a wink.

Alfred turned back to Arthur who could not help grinning at Alfred. It was funny to be woken up just to be told to go and get some sleep and Alfred saw the funny side as well.

* * *

The drive back to Arthur's hotel was less frenzied and Arthur could not wait to get his head down but, as tired as he was, he was aware of Alfred casting glances at him when he thought Arthur was not looking but when Arthur looked in his direction, Alfred quickly turned away.

Arthur vaguely wondered what was wrong with Alfred but he was too tired to ask about it and he was happy to see his hotel as they pulled up outside of it and Arthur got out of the car.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said to Alfred and shut the car door. Alfred looked out at him.

"Don't forget our drink tomorrow night!" he called. He really wanted to ask, if only to get it out of the way and know one way or another but he would not spring it on Arthur right now. He would ask him when Arthur was rested and relaxed.

"I won't!" Arthur promised and with a wave, went into his hotel. Alfred watched him as he disappeared. What if Arthur was his Artie? What then? How would Arthur react? Alfred was suddenly very nervous and did not know whether he hoped that Arthur was Artie or not!

And there was a day and night to go!

* * *

The next day, Arthur felt much better after a decent night's sleep as he waited for Alfred to pick him up. When he arrived, it was Alfred that seemed frazzled. Planning to ask Arthur about being his missing soul mate had kept Alfred from sleeping and he looked exhausted.

"Are you feeling all right?" Arthur asked, getting into the car. Alfred nodded.

"Just tired," he replied. "I didn't sleep well last night. How are you this morning?"

"Much better," Arthur said as Alfred pulled out into the traffic. "I should be more productive today but I don't know about you! You look wiped out, are you going to be all right?"

"I'm cool!" Alfred replied and then struggled to stifle a yawn. Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe we should forgo that drink so you can go home and rest," he suggested.

"Hell no!" Alfred exclaimed. It was anticipating and dreading that drink that robbed him of sleep to begin with so putting it off was not going to be helpful. Besides, he really wanted to know!

Arthur was slightly taken aback by the vehemence of Alfred's response but said nothing. If he really wanted that drink …..

Before long, they pulled up outside the advertising building and were taking the elevator to the twelfth floor, fortunately free of ponies, and greeted once again by Toris.

"Good morning, Alfred! Arthur!" he said.

"Hi, Toris!" Alfred replied and then a yawn escaped him.

"You looked really tired!" Toris commented.

"He didn't sleep well," Arthur replied. Alfred shrugged off.

"A good cup of coffee and I'll be set for the day!" he replied, confidently and headed for the vending machine.

"He's not going to get a good cup of anything from that!" Arthur replied, hoping the coffee was better than the tea. Toris nodded.

"What we need is a decent coffee machine," he agreed. "Maybe I can persuade Feliks to get one? What's the point of being the boss's soul mate if I don't use it to everyone's advantage once in a while?" Arthur smiled but it was tinged with sadness. Toris wondered about that but did not know how to ask.

"Alfred said you shot down his superhero idea," he said, instead. Arthur sighed.

"Maybe I was a little abrupt," he admitted. "I was tired myself yesterday but I can't help but think it trivialises the message."

"Can I give you some advice?" Toris asked and Arthur nodded. "Whenever Alfred tries to push the superhero idea, Kiku would consider it until Alfred's enthusiasm begins to wane and then suggest other ideas and get Alfred interested in them. But I wonder, if carefully handled, if the superhero idea might work for the renewable fuels thing? I admit Alfred has suggested superheroes before but it just doesn't work for things like advertising funeral directors!"

"Funerals!" Arthur choked. "Are you serious?" Toris chuckled.

"It made sense to Alfred at the time," he replied. "Fortunately, Kiku was able steer him in a more dignified direction. But maybe, this time, Alfred might be on to something!" Arthur was not so sure but he would give it some thought.

Alfred returned from the vending machine, sipping at his coffee and, judging by his face, it was no better than the tea but he clearly needed the caffeine and then he and Arthur went into their office to work on the ad campaign.

* * *

Alfred just wanted the day over with, despite the fact that Arthur seemed to be more open to listening to his ideas but his plans for tonight claimed his attention and time seemed to drag but, finally, work finished and they were able to leave work behind.

Alfred took Arthur to a bar near where he lived. Alfred ordered a beer while Arthur asked for a whiskey and they found somewhere to sit.

"So what made ya work for the mad-house?" Alfred asked Arthur, using the term everyone who worked for Hetalia Advertising used.

"I was head-hunted," Arthur replied. "I was working for an advertising company in England and some of the campaigns I put together drew attention and I was offered an attractive package to work for Hetalia Advertising so I took it!"

"How'd ya family feel about ya coming across the pond?" Arthur cringed at the English language being butchered but elected to say nothing and just mentally corrected Alfred's grammar.

"Actually," Arthur replied. "My parents were very supportive about the move. My brothers, however, were not so sure about it, especially Allistor!"

"How many brothers have ya got?" Alfred asked. "I've got one, Matthew! He's a mountain-rescuer in Canada!" Arthur smiled.

"That's great!" he replied. "I have four brothers, I'm the second youngest! Allistor's the eldest, followed by Rhys, then Patrick and my younger brother is Seamus!"

"Why'd ya brother, Allistor not want ya to take the job?" Alfred figured the brothers must be close if Allistor did not want his little brother to come across the Atlantic.

"He feels responsible for me because of something that happened when we were kids." Arthur replied. "He sees it as watching out for me, I see it as sticking his nose in. Don't think we're joined at the hip or anything like that! We can barely be in the same room without an argument erupting. He thinks I'm irritating pain and I think he's a overbearing prat!" Arthur sipped his whiskey. Alfred wondered what Allistor felt responsible for but felt it was too early to ask about that.

"What about your parents?" he asked, instead. "Still about?"

"Yes." Arthur said. "They're retired and live in Kingston-on-Thames. Your parents?" Alfred's mood dropped.

"Mom and Dad separated!" he replied which surprised Arthur. Soul mates did not separate unless Alfred's parents were not. "My name is actually Alfred F Williams-Jones but when our parents separated, he blamed Dad and dropped the Jones. I started to call myself Jones to support Dad!"

"Are your parents soul mates?" he asked. Alfred nodded and Arthur looked at him in shock.

"They haven't separated because they hate each other," he clarified. "Mom didn't want it to happen but Dad felt that ….. it's kind of complicated!" Alfred was clearly uncomfortable discussing it so Arthur dropped the subject.

Alfred did not like to say that the family had been pulled apart by what had happened to him and his father decided that they would be better off without him and Madeline could not persuaded him otherwise! Matthew, in a rare display of temper, accused his father of giving up on them and stopped calling himself Jones and he and their mother went to Canada while Alfred refused to give up on his father and stayed in the same city and visited him regularly in the hopes of healing the rift.

Alfred looked at Arthur and wondered should he tell Arthur about when he was three and ask him if he was the boy at JFK airport but decided it was too soon in the evening and he would just get to know Arthur better before he touched on that subject so they talk about this and that, what hobbies the other had and so forth. Arthur loved gardening, reading and embroidery of all things. Alfred liked archaeology, horror movies (which he can't watch alone) and, of course, superheroes. After a hour of small talk, Alfred decided to broach the subject of whether or not Arthur could be his soul mate.

"Arthur," he began. "Do you ….." Alfred faltered and he could not get the words out as much as he wanted to.

"Yes?" Arthur asked, waiting for Alfred to finish.

"Do you …..," it was no good. Alfred need some Dutch courage before he could go there. "Want another drink?" He finished, lamely. Arthur looked down at his now empty glass and nodded and Alfred went back to the bar.

* * *

A few drinks later and it became apparent that Alfred's tolerance for alcohol was much higher that Arthur's as Arthur began making random comments about not knowing if he was catholic or protestant (Alfred did not know what to make of that but deemed it as unimportant as he was not at all religious) but he became a little concerned when Arthur wrapped his arms around Alfred sobbing.

"I want my Alfie!" he wept but it was muffled by Alfred's jacket that Arthur had his face pressed into and Alfred did not hear it properly. Alfred (who was rather drunk himself, just not as much as Arthur) patted Arthur awkwardly on the back and decided that if he was going to ask Arthur, he better do it now while Arthur was still in any fit state to listen and Alfred had enough alcohol in his system to not care about the consequences.

He propped Arthur up in his seat but Arthur put his head down on the table with a clunk.

"Arthur, are you still alive down there?"

"Just about!" was the slurred answer.

"I have something to ask you!"

"What?"

"When I was three," Alfred began, determined to do this thing. "I met my soul mate at JFK airport. He was a blonde boy the same age called Artie but I was pulled away from him and I never saw him again. When I saw you at the airport, you felt familiar to me and you have the same name and you're the right age so I'm wondering, Artie..." Alfred took a deep breath.

"Are you my soul mate?"

_Snore!_

Alfred looked down at Arthur who snored again. He had fallen asleep! Finally, Alfred had worked up the courage to ask Arthur and Arthur was unconscious in a drunken stupor. Damn Arthur and his intolerance to alcohol. Alfred's head fell on to Arthur's shoulder as he realised that he was going to have to do this again and it had taken several drinks to get the courage up the first time. Great, life officially sucked! Not only would he not get his answer but he now had to deal with a drunk, unconscious colleague and he was not exactly sober himself. Arthur's hotel was some distance away and Alfred did not think he could get him there by himself and no taxi driver in his right mind was going to pick up two drunk men so Alfred decided to take Arthur to his apartment which was closer.

He stood up, swaying a little and then took Arthur's arm and put around his shoulders, picking Arthur up and swaggering out of the door into the night. People on the street avoided them as they staggered their way home, or dragged in Arthur's case, and it took a hour for them to reach Alfred's apartment.

Alfred struggled to get the key in the lock, hampered by an unconscious Arthur and his own inebriated state, finally managing to get the door open and drag the pair of them inside. Arthur mumbled something about 'Dumbledora the explorer' that would have made no sense to Alfred, even if he was sober. He pulled Arthur into his bedroom and dropped him on to the bed.

Arthur was going to be out for quite some time and Alfred decided it would not be good for him to sleep in his clothes so he began to strip him, throwing his clothes on to a nearby chair and missing it completely so they landed on the floor. It took some time to get Arthur's clothes off and when he was down to his underwear, Alfred pulled the blankets over him as he snoozed away, dreaming some drunken dream.

Alfred was exhausted himself after all that so he pulled off his own clothes, dropping them everywhere and, as it was a large bed with plenty of room for both of them, he climbed in with Arthur, settled down and went to sleep immediately.

To Alfred's booze-soaked brain, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

**Can anyone detect a certain awkward moment coming up! XP Poor Alfred couldn't have known that Arthur's a lightweight when it comes to drinking! Alfred and Arthur are going to pay for it in the morning, that's for certain and in more ways than one! Anybody got a good hangover cure? XD**

**To Amawesomereviewr -**** I hope the rest gets two thumbs up too! :)**

**To**** Nightshine315** **\- Gibbling, maybe? :D Hopefully we'll to the happy stuff soon! ;)**

**To Normandy**** \- Arthur and Alfred have both Feliks and Alfred rooting for them! :) What! How dare they take Doctor Who off any channel! That's a crime against Humanity! DX**

**So close and yet so far! I'm such an evil teaser, aren't I! XP**

**Till next week,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	13. TISYA Pt 5 : The Morning After

**It's the 17****th**** March! Happy St Patrick's Day, Ireland, have a wonderful day! Happy Birthday, Patrick and Seamus! And Happy Birthday, Feliciano and Romano! And that being said,**

**Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 5 : The Morning After**_

_Arthur watched another aeroplane rushed down the long road and lift into the sky. It was better than being with his brothers who picked on him constantly. All he wanted was a friend to play with who did not teased him all the time. His older brothers did not want him hanging round with them, which was fine because being with them was not fun and Seamus was too young to play with and Arthur was always lonely._

_Another plane landed on another long road and turned into a little road off the the long one. He would be on one of them soon, going home from a holiday in New York. He looked back at his brothers who had not realised that he had walked away so he would be away from their teasing for a while._

"_Hi!" came a bright voice and he turned to see a boy about his age with blonde hair and bright blues, carrying something but he was blurry. Arthur could make out the colours but not the boy's features._

_Then he felt a strange thudding in his chest, something he had never felt before!_

"_I'm Alfred!" the boy said with a friendly tone. "What's your name?" Arthur decided that he liked Alfred._

"_Arthur!" Alfred gave a blurry smile._

"_Hi, Artie!" he replied. "Wanna go play?" Arthur looked back at his family, knowing that Mum and Dad would get mad if he wandered off but more time away from his teasing brothers sounded good and he felt the need to stay with Alfred so he nodded and they ran off together._

Arthur smiled in his sleep at the happy dream, as did Alfred who had cuddled up to Arthur but his smile turned to a frown as his dream changed from happy to not so good.

_Alfred was having a good time with his new friend, despite the funny _bump, bump, bump_ in his chest. Artie was blurry to him, although he could see that Artie had blonde hair and green eyes that seemed to have big things over the top of them. They played hide and seek and it was his turn to seek. Carrying his new Mickey Mouse plush that his Dad had bought from Disneyland, he ran through the chairs, looking for Artie's hiding place. Then he spotted a funny, not-real tree in a corner and looked behind it and, sure enough, there was Artie. _

"_Found you, Artie!" he crowed, grabbing Artie's hand and pulling out from behind the tree. Artie giggled._

"_My turn, Alfie!" he replied as Alfred took his hands and they began turning round in a circle._

"_ALFRED!"_

"_OI, YER LITTLE SHIT!" Alfred turned round to see his father coming toward him and then toward the other voice which belonged to a red-haired teenager who grabbed Artie by the collar, blaming him for the trouble he had gotten him into with their parents. Alfred's father grabbed hold of Alfred's hand, pulling him away from Artie and scolding him for wandering off. Alfred desperately tried to hold on to Artie as they were pulled apart. They had to stay together, they just had to!_

_They could not hold on and finally, their hands slipped free of each other!_

"ARTIE!" Alfred cried as he came awake, just as Arthur woke crying, "ALFIE!"

Arthur woke crying out the name of the boy in his dream to find himself embraced in a pair of arms and the look on his face turned to one of horror as he looked into the eyes of his co-worker. And that's when his hangover hit! The blinding headache, the nausea and, something he had never faced before, the awkward morning after. He pulled out of Alfred's arms and began holding his head.

"No!" he wallowed in self-denial. "No, no, no! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Alfred was as shocked as Arthur to find himself cuddling the hungover Brit when usually he would cuddle the Mickey Mouse plush he got twenty years ago but then the memories of the night before came flooding back. His failed attempt to find out if Arthur was Artie and how they ended up in the same bed together. Nothing had happened but Alfred could understand why Arthur had jumped to the conclusion he had. They were in bed, in nothing but their underwear and the rest of their clothes were all over the room and, since Arthur had been unconscious when Alfred brought him home, he would have no clue of anything that happened. Arthur was now out of the bed, desperately gathering up his clothes, wanting to get out of this embarrassing situation as soon as possible. Alfred climbed out of the bed after him.

"Arthur!" he said, trying to get the panicking Brit to listen to him. "Arthur! Nothing happened! " But Arthur was too agitated to listen as he struggled into his shirt and then pulled on his pants. He was aware of Alfred talking in the background but he was too lost in his own panicked thoughts to listen.

_Why did I drink so much? I should know by now that I can't handle it and now I've made a fool of myself in front of Alfred! How can I work with him after this? Oh, I wish my hangover would kill me!_

"Arthur, listen to me!" Alfred knelt down in front of Arthur as he put on his shoes and was tying his laces. "Nothing happened! We got drunk, I brought you here and we just went to sleep! Well, I went to sleep, you were already unconscious. That's all that happened, I promise!" Arthur looked up and saw the truth in the other man's eyes. Then he put his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands,

"Did I say anything embarrassing?" he groaned.

"You said something about not knowing what religion you were," Alfred replied. "Then you started crying on my shoulder." Arthur groaned again. "Then you dumped your head on the table and fell asleep!" Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. He knew from his brothers that he had a tendency to wail about his lost soul mate when drunk.

"Was that all I said?" he asked. Alfred thought for a moment.

"You muttered something when you were crying on my shoulder but I didn't hear what it was," he replied, getting up and sitting beside Arthur. "Don't worry, you've got nothing to tell or keep from your soul mate!" Alfred decided to throw that in to see how Arthur would react and waited for his answer, expectantly. Arthur turned his face away from Alfred to find himself looking at a Mickey Mouse plush. It looked old and well-used from being hugged a lot. And it was oddly familiar.

"I lost my soul mate some time ago," he muttered. Alfred's heart sank as he reached the conclusion that Arthur had found his soul mate who had died and Arthur did not want to talk about it. He was not his Artie! He should have known better than to think that he was.

"I'm sorry!" he said, honestly. "I lost mine too!" Arthur looked back at Alfred. He wanted to ask Alfred what happened to his soul mate but if he did not want to talk about finding his soul mate and being separated from him, he had no business questioning someone about their bereavement and causing them distress so he kept his curiosity to himself.

"My condolences," Arthur said. Alfred smiled sadly.

"It was a long time ago," he replied and they sat in silence, each believing that each other's soul mate was dead.

So oblivious!

Arthur looked at the clock and panicked.

"It's eight fifteen!" he cried. They started work at nine so they had forty five minutes to get ready and get there which meant that Arthur had no time to get back to his hotel to change so Alfred lent him a suit. It was a little big and his belt held the waist in and he had to turn up the legs but he could get away with it for one day. Now he just had to get through the day with a hangover and, after a couple of painkillers he was given by Alfred, and a quick bite of breakfast he had to forced down through his nausea, they left for work.

* * *

Feliks could not wait for Alfred and Arthur to arrive because he was bursting to find out how the night before had gone and had Alfred asked Arthur and what had Arthur had said. He was almost bouncing up and down waiting for the elevator to unload them on to the twelfth floor. When they finally arrived, having to take a circular route to work because some of the roads were being closed off for the St Patrick's Day Parade later that day, Feliks took in the fact that Arthur was wearing a suit he had seen Alfred wear before, putting two and two together and coming up with _Arthur spent the night at Alfred's! _ He gave a quiet little squeal and ran up to the two men.

"Excuse me, Arthur!" he said by way of greeting and grabbing hold of Alfred. "I need Alfred for a moment!" And he dragged Alfred away with Arthur looking at them for a moment before going into the office.

Feliks dragged Alfred into his own office, shut the door, pushed Alfred down into a chair and trapped him there by gripping the arms and leaning over him.

"Okay!" he ordered. "Spill! I want all the gory details of last night! He's wearing one of your suits! He stayed the night, didn't he? It's him! He's Artie! Come on, tell me what happened?" Alfred sighed.

"Feliks, it's not him!" he replied. "He's wearing one of my suits today because he got too blind drunk to get back to his hotel last night. He crashed at my place and he had no time to get back to his hotel to change! He's not Artie!" Feliks looked deflated.

"Are you sure?" he asked, hoping that Alfred had misunderstood something. Alfred nodded.

"Arthur found his soul mate and they died," he said. "Arthur told me himself!" Feliks's face fell.

"That's a shame!" he said. "It's would have been a great story to put on my Facebook page!"

"Well, I'm sorry you can't plaster my private life over the internet!" Alfred declared, Feliks finally letting him up. "I better get to work before Arthur starts to think he's on his own today." He left, leaving behind a disappointed Feliks. It would have been destiny! Oh well!

* * *

Arthur had something to do while he was waiting for Alfred to return from whatever Feliks wanted him for. He took out his mobile phone, searched through his contacts and dialled Patrick's number.

"Hello," his brother's voice answered.

"Hello, Patrick it's Arthur!" Arthur said. "Just calling to wish you a Happy Birthday!"

"Oh hey, Bunny," Patrick replied. "Took you longer enough! It's one o'clock, you know!"

"I'm in New York, you plonker!" Arthur replied. "It's just after nine in the morning here! I would have called sooner but I was running late for work. Wait a minute! Shouldn't it be two where you are?"

"Nah," Patrick replied. "Me and Seamus are in Dublin. We thought we'd see St Patrick's Day in the country of our birth since it's our birthday as well!" It was a family joke that the two brothers born in Ireland shared the same birthday and it just happened to be St Patrick's Day. Great talking point at parties!

"Seamus is with you!" Arthur said. "I was going to call him next! Is he there? Put him on!"

"Oi, Seamus!" he heard Patrick call out. "Bunny's on the phone! He wants to talk to you!" Arthur heard the sound of footsteps and noises as Patrick handed the phone to his youngest brother.

"Hey, Bunny!" Seamus said.

"Hello, Seamus!" Arthur replied. "I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks, Bunny," Seamus replied. "I wish you were here in person!" Arthur had a stronger relationship with his younger brother than with his elder brothers. When Seamus was growing up, Arthur refused to let his older brothers pick on Seamus the way they had him and defended him from their teasing ways.

"I wish I could too," Arthur said. "If you and Patrick are in Dublin, where are Allistor and Rhys?"

"Canada!" Arthur frowned.

"Why are they in Canada?"

"Well, since Patrick and I were coming here, Rhys fancied skiing, don't ask me why," Seamus replied. "And Rhys found this sweet deal online and dragged Allistor with him!" Arthur chuckled.

"I'm just imagining your brothers on skis," he said. "Especially Allistor!" Seamus laughed along and then the office door opened and Arthur looked up as Alfred came in and sat down.

"I have to go now," Arthur said. "Unfortunately your birthday presents will arrived at home so you'll have to wait for them. I wasn't expecting you to take off elsewhere!"

"No problem, Bunny!"

"Tell the others I'm missing them, even that stupid git, Allistor!"

"Will do, Bunny!" Seamus replied. "Goodbye!"

"Goodbye!" The phone clicked off. Alfred was looking at Arthur.

"My brothers, Patrick and Seamus," he explained. "It's their birthday today!"

"Really!" Alfred replied. "Are they twins?"

"No," Arthur said. "Patrick's three years older than me and Seamus is just over three years younger!"

"And born on the same day!" Alfred was amused by the coincidence.

"And both born in Ireland," Arthur replied, waiting to see what Alfred made of that. Alfred's eyebrows raised.

"And born on St Patrick's Day! Lot of coincidences in your family, Artie!"

"True!" Arthur replied. "What did Feliks want?"

"Just clarification on something," he replied. "So what ideas had we got?" Arthur sat back.

"Well, I've been thinking about your superhero idea," he replied. "There might be something in it! It would especially appeal to young children and educate them about renewal fuels and other things that impact on the environment …."

"...and they plague their parents about it!" Alfred laughed. "Two prong attack! I like it!" Arthur grimaced.

"It's an education campaign Alfred," he said. "Not a war! Although it could be put in schools as well. Educate them while they're young!"

"Yeah!" Alfred agreed. "Let's do this thing!"

* * *

For the next few hours, they came up with ideas and rehashed them. They only realised it was lunch time when Alfred's stomach gave a rather large growl.

"Wanna join me for lunch, Artie?" he asked. Arthur sighed.

"My name is not ….." he gave up. "Never mind!"

"Come on!" Alfred coaxed. "My treat!" Arthur put on his jacket.

"You bought me lunch the other day," Arthur insisted. "It's my turn!" And they left to eat.

* * *

Alfred tried to watch Arthur without being seen as Arthur ate his lunch. The man had impeccable table manners, always using his napkin and the way he used his knife and fork was artwork! Alfred knew his own manners when eating were less that perfect, usually because he was eating on the run but he tried to show some manners now he was eating with a expert.

He wished Arthur had been Artie but it was not to be. A shame because now he had recovered from his travel-induced fatigue, Arthur was good company. And cute! Even the eyebrows but he was not his soul mate but Alfred had made up his mind now that he was never going to find Artie. But why should he be alone? He was soul mate less and Arthur's soul mate was dead so he was alone too so …..

Why not? It could work! Alfred had nothing to lose if Arthur was agreeable. Would Arthur consider it?

Arthur knew Alfred was watching him despite his attempts to hide it and he wondered what was going through the American's head. He had to admit that he thought Alfred was handsome with that blonde hair with the cute cowlick and eyes like the sky on a summer's day. Such a shame that his soul mate died so early in his life, leaving him alone. If only he could have been Alfie, his soul mate but Arthur had long since accepted that Alfie was gone forever.

But Alfred was here, probably as lonely as he was, lacking a soul mate like he was. Maybe they could find some kind of happy life together.

It was worth a try!

"Artie, would you go a date with me?"

"Alfred, perhaps you'd like to join me for an evening?"

It came out together. The two looked at each other and began grinning.

"Great minds, right!" Alfred chuckled and Arthur smiled with him.

"Great minds, indeed!"

* * *

_Canada ….._

Allistor grumbled as he trudged through the snow, wishing he had never let Rhys talk him into this. He hated the cold and could not wait to get to their hotel. As he and Rhys approached the doors, they suddenly burst open as a long, blonde haired man, screaming 'Merde!', dove through them, knocking Allistor off his feet. The man shouted, "Désolé!" as he dove around the corner of the hotel out of sight. Rhys was just helping Allistor to his feet when two men also burst out of the doors. One was one of the tallest men the Kirkland Brothers had ever seen, with platinum blonde hair and violet eyes and, disturbingly, he was waving a pipe with a tap on the end. The other man was also blonde with glasses and blue eyes. He looked like the academic type but right now his eyes were blazing with fury.

"Where did he go?" he demanded in an Estonian accent. "I'll teach him to mess with my wife!" The tall man with the pipe smiled a smile as creepy as it was innocent looking.

"And my sister," he said, sounding Russian and they ran off, fortunately for their victim, in a different direction and Allistor trudged in the direction the blonde Frenchman had taken. It was a alley with waste bins and a dead end so the Frenchman had to be somewhere.

"You can come out now," he called out. "They've gone!" There was movement and a blonde head came into view.

"So what did you do?" Allistor demanded as the man came toward him. The Frenchman shrugged his shoulders.

"Just spreading the love, mon ami!" he declared. Allistor snorted.

"With someone else's wife and that Russian's sister!" he commented. "You were really asking for it. That Russian was a big bastard and not entirely stable, it looked like!" The Frenchman chuckled.

"Oui," he replied. "You would think someone who works for mountain rescue would have sanctity for human life." He stepped out of the alley and into the light and Allistor saw his blue eyes.

"No one has sanctity for the life of anyone who..." Allistor trailed off as he felt something he never thought he would ever feel. He always thought Fate was punishing for what he did to Arthur and that was why he never found his soul mate but here he was, looking into the eyes of this man and his heart was beating. This was his soul mate as the blonde, blue-eyed Frenchman put his hand over his own heart as if to check that what he was feeling was real and Allistor thought he had been forgiven.

Then he realised that his soul mate was a philanderer who was marked for death by an mad Russian with a pipe and he thought, _'No, I'm still being punished!'_

This holiday was off to a great start!

**When I realised that I would be updating this story on St Patrick's Day, I put in the birthday phone call to Patrick and Seamus and put their birthdays on the same day. Allistor's not very happy with his soul mate but would you be if you met yours while he was hiding from an irate husband and an angry brother. I put Allistor in Canada for a reason, you'll find out soon why!**

**To Guest**** – I don't live anywhere near London so I'll take your word for it. I just know it's supposed to be a nice area and perhaps a good place to retire to. :) And we have had more that our fair share of rain of late, that's certainly true! :P**

**To Amawesomereviewr**** – There's nothing like putting the characters in awkward situations and watching them suffer, is there (I'm Evil!) XP Never mind, dancing round the issue, they know think each other's soul mate is DEAD! Misunderstandings galore! ;P**

**To Normandy**** – Yeah! What the Hell happened, indeed, although it's more Arthur than Alfred since he was unconscious! Nursing the BTT with hangovers! Don't envy you, I'm more inclined to let them suffer their self-inflicted agony (Evil, remember!) Okay, I'm so intrigued now I have to ask about the Zoo incident and I think the only person Arthur could out drink is Doctor Emmett Brown! (He's gone after just one!) XP**

**So our two characters think the other is a bereaved soul mate and decided to make a go of it with each other! Can you imagine their reactions when the truth finally comes out! I've said it before and I'll say it again! I'M EVIL! **

**And so, an evil Hasta la Pasta! ;)**


	14. TISYA Pt 6 : Family Ties

**What can I say? There are no words to describe the events in Belgium any more than they could the events in Paris. This chapter is dedicated to the Belgium people! My heart is with you!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 6 : Family Ties**_

It had been a few days and everyone knew that Alfred and the new British guy were dating. Feliks had mixed feelings about that! He was happy that one of his favourite employees was no longer alone but he strongly believed in Destiny and that Destiny would bring Alfred's soul mate to him and where would that leave Arthur? Feliks was determined to get to know Arthur better and be his friend so he could pick up the pieces when Destiny decided to spring her surprise.

It was a happy atmosphere in which Arthur and Alfred worked on the Renewable Fuels ad campaign which was coming on nicely. What seemed like a childish idea became an idea to appeal to children and involved making any parent who used any renewable fuel a superhero to their children and they were putting together ideas for the TV ad. It was going better than Arthur thought possible but they still had to sell it to the client.

They were storyboarding the ad when Alfred's cellphone ran. He looked at the caller-id and his eyes widened a little and he looked at Arthur.

"All right if I take this?" he asked. Arthur hated being interrupted in mid-stream. "It's my Dad! I haven't talk to him for a while, he's been out of town!" Arthur could not deny Alfred the chance to speak to his father so he nodded and Alfred pressed accept.

"Hi Dad!" he said. "How was the trip? …... What? …... yeah, sure! Shouldn't be a problem, Feliks is quite easy going about that kind of thing but, you know, anyone who brings ponies into the office! ….. Yeah! See you soon, Dad! Bye!" He ended the call.

"Dad's gonna drop by later," Alfred revealed. "He gets like this when he's been away for a while. Feels the need to see me as soon as possible! He feels guilty over my soul mate!" Arthur looked up at that.

"Was he responsible for the lost of your soul mate?" he asked, gently. Alfred nodded.

"It was an accident," he said, quietly. "But Dad's always blamed himself over it!" Arthur said nothing, although he had a lot of admiration for his new boyfriend. Some would hold resentment over the death of their soul mate, even against a parent but Alfred did not seem to want his father to suffer over the incident that he clearly did not blame his father for. A mature attitude from his childlike boyfriend. Heaven knows he had not been so forgiving of Allistor in the beginning when he found out what at happened at JFK Airport.

"When is he coming by?" he asked.

"He's coming before lunch," Alfred replied. "So we can go together!" Arthur nodded.

"I'll make other arrangements for lunch," he offered. "You and your father should have time alone!"

"No!" Alfred exclaimed. "I want you there! I'd like you two to meet! If Dad realises that I've moved on and met someone, he might stop beating himself up!" Or could make him worse, was Arthur's thought, thinking that his son was settling for second-best. Not that Arthur could criticise Alfred about that! After all, was he not doing the same?

No, he was not! Alfred was not second-best! Alfie was gone! Arthur was never going to get him back and he had let go a long time ago. He could have chosen anyone since then and there had been offers but none that moved Arthur to accept. If it was just a matter of finding someone to fill the void, anyone else would have done. And anyone else would have been second-best but it had taken Alfred to make Arthur even consider finding someone. Alfred was not second-best to Alfie, he was equal!

Arthur realised that Alfred was waiting for a response and nodded.

"I would like to meet your father," he replied.

"Great!" Alfred smiled, leaning over and giving Arthur a quick kiss. "I know you two will love each other!"

Arthur hoped so for Alfred's sake!

* * *

_Canada..._

Allistor and Rhys had booked into their room and the Frenchman was hiding out there as the Russian and the Estonian were still hunting for him and Allistor at least wanted to get to know his soul mate before he had to bury him.

"So what's your name?" Allistor asked, sipping a whiskey. The Frenchman took Allistor's free hand and brought it to his lips.

"Francis Bonnefoy, mon cher!" he said and kissed Allistor's knuckles. "At your service!" Allistor was tempted to punch his knuckles in Francis's face when he heard Rhys chuckle but settled for pulling his hand out of Francis's grip and wiping his hand on his pants.

"All this time you've waited for your soul mate." Rhys smirked. "And when you find him, he's the local Casanova with a death wish! I'd start planning the funeral now if I were you!"

"And may I ask the name of mon cœur _(my heart) _before my imminent demise?" Allistor rolled his eyes.

"Allistor Kirkland!" Francis smiled.

"Delighted to meet you, mon amour," he replied. "Are you related to Alice Kirkland, now Bonnefoy?" Allistor and Rhys looked at each other.

"Our cousin," Rhys replied. "Married to François Bonnefoy!" Francis smiled, sadly.

"My cousin," he replied. "I had hoped sweet Alice would make my heart beat but, alas, François was the one destined for a life with the sweet rose anglaise! _(sweet English rose!)_"

"And you got my grouchy older brother instead," Rhys chuckled and Allistor gave him a sour look. Suddenly, _La Marseillaise_ began to play and Francis took out his phone, looked at who was calling and answered it.

"Bonjour, Gilbert!" he greeted. "How is Matthieu? …... Really! That's good! It's been boring without you and Antonio but exciting things have happened today so I have a surprise for you when you get here! …... I can't! I'm in hiding at the moment! …... You know, spreading the love! …..Yes. Someone did object, I'll tell you about it when I see you! Au revoir, mon ami!" He ended the call.

"One of my close friends," he explained. "We were here together! He met his soul mate and took him home to meet his brother. They're coming back tomorrow! I can't wait for Gilbert to meet you, mon cher!"

"I can!," Allistor replied. "If he's anything like you!"

* * *

Arthur reviewed the storyboard for the TV ad and had to admit that Alfred was right. It was fun but presented a real message and he believed that Feliks would be pleased with what he and Alfred had come up with.

He turned when he heard a knock at the door to their office, to see a man in the doorway and knew straight away that this was Alfred's father. He looked like an older version of Alfred which gave Arthur the impression that Alfred would age well.

"Sorry to disturb you!" the man apologised. "I'm looking for Alfred Jones! He's my son!"

"Yes, I can see the resemblance," Arthur replied, walking toward the man, holding out his hand for him to shake. "He just went for coffee! Hello, I'm Arthur Kirkland, Alfred's co-worker!" As they shook hands, Alfred Sr's mind went into overdrive as he recognised Arthur's accent and responded to his name. Arthur! British! Artie, he knew, had been British. Alfred Sr could not remember what colour the boy's eyes had been, he had not looked at him that closely, but the eyebrows were familiar and Artie had been blonde. Could it be that Alfred had found his missing soul mate? But surely Alfred would have told him if he had! Alfred Sr was overwhelmed with curiosity.

"This might seem a strange question," he said. "But …..."

"Dad!" Alfred came through the door carrying two cups, one containing coffee and the other containing tea from the new drinks machine that Toris had finally managed to persuade Feliks to get, an addition that everyone was appreciating. "You're here already! I see you've met Arthur!"

Alfred had actually arrived just as his father was about to ask if Arthur was Artie and he had to stop his Dad from straying into sensitive areas so he interrupted his father and planned to speak to him in private and he called Artie Arthur so as not to confuse the issue. He handed Arthur his tea and offered his father his coffee who declined.

Arthur raised an large eyebrow at Alfred. Since they decided to get together, Alfred had called him Artie more and more and suddenly, in front of his father, Alfred was developing an air of formality and he wondered what brought it on.

"Arthur, do you mind if I talk to my Dad in private for a moment?" Alfred asked. "Just family stuff!" Arthur nodded.

"We're nearly done here anyway," he replied. "Afterwards we can go to lunch!" Alfred gave Arthur a grin and then he pulled his Dad out of the office. When they were far enough away, he turned back to his Dad.

"Dad, I know you were about to ask about JFK Airport," he said. "Don't! He's not Artie! Arthur found his soul mate and they died. It's not him!" Alfred Sr looked disappointed.

"I just hoped that after all this time …." Alfred nodded.

"I did too," he admitted. "But it doesn't make a difference anyway! Dad, Arthur and I …... we're together!" Alfred Sr stared at his son.

"But Alfie," he said. "What if you find Artie?" Alfred shook his head.

"I'm not going to find him, Dad!" he said, adamantly. "And I've decided not to waste my life on the off-chance that I might. Artie's gone and Arthur's alone! Why shouldn't we try to make a life so we can both be happy?"

"It's my fault!" Alfred Sr was blaming himself for this. "You have to take the second choice because of me! My actions destroyed our whole family, even Matthew hates me for what I did!" Now even Alfred exploded at his father's self-pity.

"Stop it, Dad!" he fumed. "You had no idea Artie was my soul mate, how could you! Find a soul mate at that age is rare! And Matthew doesn't hate you, he's angry because you let this eat you up so much that you walked away from the family. If you and Mom got back together, he'd speak to you again, you know Mom'll take you back. You're her soul mate and you need her as much as she needs you! And Arthur's not a second choice! If I had Artie and he died, I still could have met Arthur! This is no different and how do we know that Artie hasn't die and that's why we can't find him? We have to stop mourning the life we could have had and live the life we've got! And you could start by calling Mom and talk to her!"

"I can't put the burden of what I did on her," Alfred Sr replied, turning his head away.

"And what about the burden you put on me?" Alfred replied and Alfred Sr turned back to him. "I was the one who wandered away that day! If I'd done what I was told and stayed where I was, I never would have met Artie then and maybe I would have met him when I was older and would have recognised what the beating in my chest was. But no! I met my soul mate too soon and since then I've had to watch my Dad beat himself up, day after day, and watch my family fall apart because I was a disobedient little brat!" Tears were leaking from Alfred's eyes now and Alfred Sr wrapped his arms around his boy and held him tight.

"Ah, son," he said, comfortingly. "You were never a brat! You and Matthew were the best things to ever happen to your mother and me! You wandered away! That's what children do! Have you blamed yourself for my behaviour all this time because of that? It's ridiculous!"

"So is why you've been blaming yourself," Alfred replied, resting his head on his Dad's shoulder. "I know it's early days but I'm happy with Arthur! And I want you, Mom and Matthew to be happy too." Alfred Sr tightened the hug he gave his son.

"I'll call your Mom!" he promised. "And we'll take it from there!" Alfred smiled. He should have tried guilt tripping his Dad a long time ago!

* * *

Arthur watched Alfred and his father interact as they ate lunch. Alfred Sr had taken the fact that they were seeing each other in his stride but he looked a little sad and Arthur guessed that he wished his son's soul mate still lived so Alfred did not have to look elsewhere for happiness but he seemed happy enough that his son was moving on with his life and he was determined not to let the man down and make Alfred happy.

"Where are you from in England, Arthur?" Alfred Sr asked.

"I'm from London," Arthur replied. "I have four brothers, two were in Ireland the last time I spoke to them and the other two are on holiday in Canada right now."

"Alfred's brother is in Canada with their mother," Alfred Sr replied. "He works with Mountain Rescue."

"Alfred mentioned that," Arthur said. "Maybe my brothers will meet yours, Alfred!"

"Matthews not there right now," Alfred replied. "Matthew met his soul mate a week or so ago and they went to meet his family. Some guy called Gilbert! I tried to call you but I couldn't hold of you!" Alfred Sr nodded.

"My phone got broken," he explained. "I've only just replaced it. Is he happy?"

"He sounded like he was," Alfred replied. "Although there was something about finding Gilbert drunk up a mountain!"

"Do I really want to know?"

"Probably not!"

"And your parents?" Alfred Sr asked Arthur.

"Retired! Kingston-on-Thames!" Alfred Sr smiled.

Alfred picked up his glass and raised it.

"I propose a toast!" he announced. "To our families, to new members and to the future!" Arthur and Alfred Sr picked up their glass and they clinked them all together.

"To the future!"

* * *

_Canada, next day ….._

Francis had been given a reprieve! Eduard and Katyusha had left the hotel to go home and Ivan's rescue team had been called away to assist with looking for an aircraft that had gone down some miles away. Although Francis wished the reason was not people in danger, he was glad he could now walk about outside Allistor and Rhys's room without running the risk of running into Ivan and his very big pipe (No! That's not a euphemism for anything!).

He and Allistor were sitting in the bar, drinking and getting to know each other. While Allistor was still unimpressed with Francis's flirtatious nature, he was beginning to understand that Francis was not as bad as he first thought. Francis confessed that he had been broken-hearted that Alice had not been his destined soul mate and he threw himself into philandering to cover his pain.

"If you want me as your soul mate," Allistor warned. "That had better stop or you'll think Ivan is your best friend!"

"You have nothing to fear, mon cher," Francis replied. "Now my heart beats for you, I need no one else, chéri. Just you!"

"We'll see!"

"FRANCIS! HEY BRO-HA!" Both men turned to see an albino man with a grinning smirk stood beside a blonde man with a curl falling between his eyes which were violet. Francis waved to them to come forward.

"Welcome back, mon ami!" he greeted. "How was your brother?"

"As uptight as usual but hey!" the albino put his arm around the blonde and they came over to them. "You'll never guess. You know his soul mate! The blind one! His heart's beating, even without being able to see into Ludwig's eyes! What do you make of that!"

"It's a miracle, Gilbert!" Francis exclaimed. "How did that come about?"

"Don't know, don't care!" Gilbert declared. "Now what about this surprise you told me about?" Francis turned to Allistor and took his hand.

"This is my surprise, mon ami," he replied. "Meet _my_ soul mate! This is Allistor Kirkland!" Gil's red eyes widened.

"Well, you've been busy since we've been gone!" he commented as he turned to Allistor and held out his hand. "Guten Tag! I am the Awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt and this is my soul mate!" The blonde man came forward.

"Hello," he said, quietly in a Canadian accent. "I'm Matthew Williams!"

**This was meant to be the last chapter but it got away from me and I decided make the story a chapter longer. I felt it was better to do that rather than risk rushing the end. Or maybe I'm just being evil and teasing you! XP**

**To Normandy**** – All I can say is you have some fun family days out! XD Only the BTT would think stealing zoo animals would be fun! ;P And that was a lot of hangovers! Yep! Both boys are being twits or perhaps just scared of disappointment. And, of course, there's the misunderstandings! :(**

**To Amawesomereviewr**** – Ha ha! I know, I'm awful and I've done it again, haven't I! XP Don't worry the torture will be over soon. Next week is definitely the last chapter and as for Allistor and Matthew, stay tuned, you just might be right! ;)**

**To Guest**** – Hello, I'm guessing those three reviews all came from you and if you like GreecexJapan so much I have happy news for you and the other fans of this ship out there. I planned for the next one-shot to be about how they met. XD Now, are they dense or am I just evil? XP. PLEASE DON'T UPEND THE TABLE, I'VE GOT ENGLAND SCREAMING IN MY EAR ABOUT THE TEASETS! DDDX**

**And that's that for this week. For those who asked about RoChu, don't worry, I haven't forgotten! I plan for that to be my next story arc! ;) And next week, revelations will happen, I promise! Check out my Hetalia/AoT crossover I'll Make A Man Out Of You! (cheeky story promotion).**

**And with my last thought being for the people of Brussels,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	15. TISYA Pt 7 : Fate's Surprise!

**Welcome to the final chapter of this story arc! This last chapter is twelve pages long and over six thousand five hundred words long and I was considering dividing it into two chapters but I decided that I'd messed with you enough so here's the extra long final chapter! Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 7 : Fate's Surprise!**_

The ad campaign was almost ready and both Arthur and Alfred were nervous with excitement and apprehension. There was always a chance the client would not like it and Arthur was particularly nervous as this was his first project in the States and it would look bad if he failed. Alfred was all 'Relax, dude! It's in the bag!' but under it all, he wondered if the superhero was a good idea. After all, there had to be a reason why Kiku always talked him out of it but, after the first day, Arthur gave it a chance and Alfred did not want Arthur's first US project to fail because of his idea.

Alfred and Arthur went down to the Art Department to check the poster ads they were having made up and they had to admit that they looked good but would the client like them or the TV ad they had created.

"I think they look cool!" Alfred said, looking the poster over. Arthur hummed.

"They do look rather good," he admitted. "Let's hope the client thinks so!" Alfred kissed him on the forehead.

"I'm sure they will!" he said and Arthur gave him a soft smile, although, had they not been alone, Arthur would have shoved him away as Alfred had already learnt that Arthur was not a PDA person but because they were alone, he allowed it.

"We only have a few days to dot the i's and cross the T's," Arthur replied. "I just want this to go well." And Alfred pulled Arthur into his arms and hugged him tight.

"It will!"

* * *

Sat in his apartment, Alfred Sr took a deep breath and ran through his contacts list on his cellphone to find the number he was looking for. He and Madeline always made sure they had each other's number, just in case they had news to convey about the boys, financial arrangements and, in Madeline's case, if Alfred Sr ever came to his senses.

Alfred Sr did not know what he was going to say to his soul mate and wife. They had been apart for so long, he had no idea what to say. He had missed her quite badly but felt that, after what happened at JFK Airport, he did not deserve her or the boys. Now, after what Alfred had said to him, he wondered if all he had done was punish his family along with himself.

He looked down at his wife's number, took another deep breath and pressed dial.

* * *

In Canada, Madeline was busy, making dinner as Matthew and his soul mate, Gilbert, were coming to dinner and she wanted everything to be special for them. She wanted to make a fuss of her eldest son whom she knew had played second fiddle to Alfred because of Alfred's soul mate problems and now it was time for Mattie to come first and she wanted to make it clear that she loved him just as much as Alfie.

Her phone began ringing and she picked it up to see who was calling. And froze! Why was her husband calling her? Had something happened to Alfie? With her heart racing, she pressed answer.

"Alfred!" she said, nervously.

"Maddie!" he sounded just as nervous as she was. "How are you?" Such banal small talk and Madeline knew he was trying to build to something.

"I'm fine, Alfred," she replied. "How are you? Are you all right? I'm wondering why you're calling, nothing's wrong with Alfie, is it?"

"No, Alfie's fine!" Alfred reassured her. "He's absolutely fine! He has a boyfriend now. A Brit called Arthur!" Madeline was about to ask the obvious. "No, it's not Artie! Arthur's soul mate is dead and Alfie's decided he's not going to wait around for Artie any more!"

"But what if Artie does show up, one day?" she asked.

"Alfie's convinced that it's never going to happen," Alfred replied. "And he wants what everybody else wants, someone to share his life with!" Madeline sighed, She had wanted so much more for her youngest son.

"So what's this Arthur like?" she asked.

"He seems like a good person," Alfred replied. "A little reserved but I think he's just uncomfortable with showing his feelings in public. Alfred seems to be happy with him, though." Madeline gave a sad smile. She would rather her son found his soul mate again but if that was not possible, to find a good person to share his life with.

"So is that why you called?" she asked. "To tell me about Alfie?" Things went quiet on the other end of the phone.

"Alfred?"

"Maddie!" came the uncertain reply. "I was talking to Alfie and I …..Maddie, have I been a fool all these years?"

Madeline wondered what Alfred was talking about. A fool about what? Could he be talking about …..?

"I took the blame for what happened to Alfie," he clarified. "And I let it eat me up and pull our family apart! Alfie never blamed me, none of you blamed me but I still let it ruin everything! I've been a fool, haven't I!" Madeline could feel the tears burning the back of her eyes. At long last, her husband was coming to his senses, after all these years!

"Yes, Alfred!" she did not sugar-coat it. "You have been a fool! You hurt us when you walked away, Alfred! All of us! Me, Alfie and Mattie! You shut us out when we should have supported Alfie together as a family, you were so stupid, Alfred!" She could hear his sad sigh on the other end of the phone.

"Is it too late for us?" Tears were now falling from Madeline's eyes.

"It won't be simple!"" she replied. "It's been a long time but it's not too late! It never has been! I've always been here waiting for you, Alfred! Waiting for you to see sense! But I need to be able to trust that you're not going to run again! You need to prove that to me _and_ Mattie!" She heard a sob on the other end of the phone.

"I'll do whatever it takes!" he wept. "I love you so much, Madeline!" Madeline gave a sob of her own.

"I love you too, Alfred!" she replied, tears now in a steady stream, flowing down her cheeks. She was going to get her family back, she could feel it!

"I'm going to spend a few days with Alfie," he said. "And then I'm coming to Canada to see you! How will Mattie feel about that? We didn't part on the best of terms!"

"I'll tell him tonight!" she told him. "He's bringing his soul mate to dinner. I'll think he might be wary about it all but I think he wants the family back too! He was angry with you for leaving but now you're coming back, I think things will be fine eventually!"

"Maddie!" Alfred Sr sobbed. "I'm sorry!"

"I know, Alfred!" she wept. "But you're coming back now and we'll see what happens from now on! I need to go! Mattie and Gilbert will be arriving soon. I'll call you later!"

"I'll be waiting!" Alfred Sr replied. "I love you!"

"And I love you!" The call ended.

Madeline sat down at the kitchen table and tried to absorb everything that had just happened. Her husband was coming back, her eldest son had found his soul mate and her youngest now had someone in his life! She would rather it was his soul mate but she was not greedy. It was enough that the was a chance that she was finally getting her family back after all these years.

She broke down and wept with happiness!

* * *

Alfred Sr looked at the phone that he had been speaking to his wife on just a few moment before and the tears already wept were joined by others as he wept with regret at all the years wasted and then with relief that there was a chance that the Williams-Jones family would be whole once again.

It was a while before he stopped.

* * *

Gilbert set out to charm his soul mate's mother and he could see who Birdie took after. Matthew definitely had Madeline's eyes and Gilbert briefly wondered what he had of his father but Matthew never talked about his father much but he had told Gilbert about his younger brother, Alfred and how he lost his soul mate when he was three. Gil had not met Alfred yet but he really felt for the guy, knowing his soul mate was out there somewhere but not knowing where or who they are. Gilbert did not know what he would do if that had happened to him and it made him appreciate his Birdie all the more.

Madeline was a good cook and Gil enjoyed the delicious meal that she had prepared for him and Matthew and she had made Matthew's favourite for dessert which were, of course, pancakes and Matthew introduced his soul mate to the bountiful delights of maple syrup. While they dug into the fluffy bites of heaven, Madeline turned to her son.

"Mattie," she said. "Your father called today!" Mattie swallowed his bite and put his fork down, saying nothing.

"He wants a reconciliation," she continued. "He'll be coming up here in a few days to talk with me and I think he would like it if you were here as well." Gilbert looked between mother and son, reading tension in the atmosphere, a great deal of it coming from Matthew.

"It took him long enough," Matthew muttered. "What made him decided to come back now?"

"He's been talking to Alfie," Madeline replied. "I think something Alfie said to him made him see sense. By the way, Alfred has a boyfriend now called Arthur!"

"Alfie had a boyfriend with a name similar to his missing soul mate!" Matthew was a little concerned about that. "I'm guessing that this guy is blonde. Can we be sure that he's not compensating for what's missing?" They seemed to forget Gil who just sat and listened, hoping to hear what this was all about.

"Time will tell!" Madeline said, sagely. "Will you talk to your father, Mattie? I know you were angry with him when he left but things were difficult for him. He felt responsible for what happened with Alfie and his soul mate and it ate away at him."

"It was hard for all of us, Mom," Mattie replied. "I can still remember when we shared a room, how Alfie cried himself to sleep every night until he made up Artie! And you felt helpless to help him, Mom! I know you did!"

"But we didn't have to deal with the guilt of tearing Alfie away from the real Artie, Mattie!" Madeline pointed out. "It pulled your father apart from the inside until he thought we were better off without him. He was wrong but that was how he felt! Will you talk to him, Mattie? This maybe the one chance to put out family back together again!" Matthew said nothing for a moment. He remembered how, shortly after it all happened, his father used to get drunk and depressed to the point that Madeline begged to stop, worried that, one day, he would get drunk and do something stupid! He stopped but the guilt ate him up and he felt that his family were better off without him and he left.

But Alfred had not left his father alone and Matthew did wonder if Alfred had accepted the job in New York to be near their father and it now occurred to Matthew that Alfred did that so he could persuade Alfred Sr to come back and try to be a family again. If so, then could Matthew undo any of that now that Alfie had succeeded.

He realised that Gilbert and his mother were waiting for an answer and he nodded.

"I'll talk to him," he replied, taking his phone out of his pocket. "But I'll do it now! Before I change my mind!" He left the table, leaving his mother to keep Gilbert company.

"I take it Mattie and Alfie's Dad left because of the lost soul mate thing?" Gilbert asked and Madeline nodded.

"Alfred was the one who found Alfie after he went missing at JFK Airport," she replied. "He was with another boy and he pulled him away so we could get home. We were part the way home when we found out that Alfie's heart had started beating and we went back to the airport but the boy was gone and my husband never got over it! One day, he left and Mattie hasn't talked to him since!"

Gilbert did not know what to say! The whole family seemed to have suffered but he could not help but think that Alfred Sr had made everyone suffer unnecessarily but he did not voice that out loud. He did not know how that would be received and, as he had never been responsible for someone losing their soul mate, who was he to judge?

He did, however, wonder how the conversation was going between his soul mate and his estranged father!

* * *

Matthew scrolled through his contacts on his phone, looking for his father's number. Alfred always made sure Matthew had it, just in case but Matthew never thought he would use it. He had been angry at his father for a long time but, if he was honest, he wanted the family back together but he was not sure he trusted his father not to walk away if the going got tough again.

He found the number and his thumb hovered over it as he debated if he should call or not. He took a deep breath and pressed it.

* * *

Alfred Sr sat in front of the TV, looking at it but not really watching. After calling Madeline, his apartment seemed too lonely and quiet. The chatter from the TV did not do much for the loneliness but at least it shattered the silence.

A silence that was further shattered by the ring of his cellphone and he put the TV on mute. He picked up his phone, looked at the caller ID and could not believe what was there. Alfred always put Matthew's number into his phone whenever Matthew changed his number but Matthew had never rung him before.

He pressed answer and slowly put the phone to his ear and cautiously said, "Hello!" There was breathing on the other end but nothing was said for a moment.

"Dad!"

"Mattie!" Alfred Sr could not believe his eldest son was actually calling him after years of silence. "Mattie, it's good to hear your voice!"

"Mom said you called," Matthew said. "Said you want to reconcile! Why? After all these years, why have you decided you want the family you walked away from?" Alfred Sr winced at the disbelief in Matthew's voice and knew he deserved that. He had caused the rift so it was up to him to work to heal it.

"Alfred!" he replied. "He finally made me see what I had done to everyone. I thought what I was doing was for the best but he made me see I was just made everyone suffer. It's not what I wanted and I want to put it right. With you, Alfie and your mother!"

"And how do we know you won't leave again?" Matthew said. "I remember the way Mom was the last time you walked away, I don't want to see her like that again!"

"Matthew!" his father replied. "I don't expect to just walk back into your lives and pick up where I left off, I know that's impossible! All I want is a chance to make things right again! Can you give me that chance?" Matthew sighed.

"Mom wants to," he admitted. "And I know Alfie wants the family back together but I need proof that you'll see it through this time!"

"I can only prove that by doing, Matthew," Alfred Sr replied. Matthew knew that was true.

"I'll give you that chance!" he conceded. "But I'll reserve judgement and if you walked away this time, that's it! I'll be done with you!" Alfred Sr was elated but he knew he had to make this count. He would never get another shot.

"I won't let you down, Matthew!" he said. "We'll be a family again, I promise! I'll come up in a few days and we'll talk more. I want to hear about your soul mate, Alfie told me you found him!"

"Yes, his name's Gilbert," Matthew replied. "I'm sure you'll meet him when you arrive!"

"I'll look forward to it, Mattie," his father said. "I'll see you in a few days then."

"In a few days," Matthew agreed. "Bye, Dad!"

"Bye, son!" the call ended and Alfred Sr began to weep again. His son was speaking to him again. Tomorrow, he would go and see Alfie at work and tell what had happened, he knew his youngest son would be ecstatic. He had one shot at healing the family and he would not mess it up!

* * *

_Canada. Next day …._

The two sets of soul mates met up for lunch at the hotel while Rhys went to explore the town, giving the two sets of _love-birds, _as he said with a slightly nauseated expression, a bit of space. Allistor noticed that the Canadian, although usually quiet, was quieter than usual and he was not sure if Matthew was upset or not.

"Are you all right, Matthew?" he asked. Matthew looked at him and nodded.

"Just thinking about stuff," he replied. "My father's coming to Canada in a few days. I haven't seen or spoken to him in years!" Allistor could not imagine not speaking to his father and wondered what could have happened to separate father and son for so long but he did not feel right prying so he said nothing. Francis, however, was not so inhibited.

"Why, mon ami?" he asked. Matthew shrugged.

"Dad left us some years ago," he replied. "He let something that happened twenty years ago make him believe that we were better off without him. I haven't spoken to him since!"

"What happened, mon frère?"

"Francis!" Allistor admonished. "He might not want to talk about it!" Matthew waved his hands in denial.

"No, it's all right!" he reassured. "My younger brother found his soul mate when he was three and Dad pulled Alfie away from him before he realised. Now Alfie doesn't know who his soul mate is and Dad's blamed himself ever since!" Francis was about to give his commiserations when the sound of Allistor's fork, falling from nerveless fingers and hitting the table clattered through the air.

_Alfie! Separated soul mates! Could it be! _All this went through Allistor's mind and he knew it was too much of a coincidence but he had to be sure!

"Where did this happen?" It was not a request, it was a demand and Matthew was confused by Allistor's suddenly seriously demeanour.

"JFK Airport," he replied. "We had arrived back from Disneyland and Alfie wandered off!" Allistor stood up, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"What's your brother's full name?" he asked, scrolling through his contacts.

"He goes by Alfred F Jones now," By now the entire table was staring at Allistor who press call on his phone and put it to his ear. He paced for a while as he waited for an answer.

"Come on, Bunny," he muttered. "Pick up!" Francis, Matthew and Gilbert all frowned at Allistor's behaviour, wondering who 'Bunny' was and then Allistor's stopped pacing when he got an answer.

"Hello, Al! What do you want, you git?"

* * *

Alfred Sr stepped off the elevator on to the twelve floor where he met Alfie's boss, Feliks as he fluttered around the offices and Alfred Sr wondered just how much time the man spent in his own office. Feliks struck him as being a little weird but Alfie assured him that he was a good boss.

"Hello, Mr Jones," Feliks greeted. "Are you, like, looking for Alfred?"

"Yes," Alfred Sr replied. "I have some news for him. Do you know where he is?"

"He's, like, gone to get lunch while Arthur's down in the Art Department," Feliks replied. "He'll, totes, be back soon. You can, like, wait in his office if you like!"

"Thank you!" Alfred Sr replied and made his way to the office his son shared with Arthur and went in. He could not wait for Alfred to get back so he could tell him about his phone call to his mother and the one from Matthew. He knew how happy it would make Alfie.

He wandered around the office, looking at the photographs that Alfie had on his desk and smiled at the one of the entire family before things well and truly fell apart and, if he had his way, there would be more photographs of that nature.

Then he wandered around to Arthur's desk, seeing photo frames there. He knew he was being nosy but he wanted to see more about this person in his son's life and the first pictures he saw were of Arthur with various people, including one that looked familiar. A red-headed man with similar eyes and eyebrows and Alfred Sr racked his brain as to where he had seen him before. Then his eyes fell on the last photograph.

It was an old picture in which Arthur was a child, about four, surrounded by three older boy boys with the oldest holding a baby about a year old and, as Alfred Sr looked at the photograph, he went pale because even if he had not recognised the four year old, he recognised the oldest one.

But Alfred had said Arthur's soul mate was dead but the proof was right in front of Alfred Sr's eyes. He have to find Alfie now, it was too important to wait!

As he dove out of the office, he almost collided with Feliks and Toris as they were coming down the corridor.

"Mr Jones!" Toris exclaimed. "I didn't know you were here!"

"Toris, I have to find Alfred!" Alfred Sr replied. "I found out who his soul mate is!" Toris looked stunned while Feliks was excited to hear all about it.

"Well, like, who is it!" he blurted and then there was a ding and Alfred stepped out the elevator, carrying lunch when it opened while Alfred Sr rushed over to his son and grabbed his shoulders.

"Alfred!" he said, breathlessly. "I've found your soul mate! I know who he is!" Alfred shook his head in disbelief.

"You can't have!" he replied. "And, any way, I'm with Arthur now!" Alfred Sr gave his son a little shake.

"Alfie!" he said. "Your soul mate _is_ Arthur!" Alfred stepped out of his father's hands.

"Now I know you're wrong!" he stated. "Arthur's soul mate is dead! He told me so himself!"

"Then why is there a photograph on his desk with the boy and the red-headed teenager from JFK Airport on his desk, Alfred?" his father asked. "I recognised them immediately, after all, how could I forget! Alfred, Arthur is Artie! You've found him, Alfie! You've found him!" Alfred dropped the lunch he was carrying, looking stunned and confused.

"But Arthur said he lost his soul mate a long time ago!" he breathed.

"Were those his exact words, Alfred?" Toris asked, realising what might have happened. Alfred nodded.

"Alfred, Arthur, like, said _lost_!" Feliks also realised what went wrong. "He never said _died_! He _lost_ his soul mate and it's you! I knew Fate would, like, bring you two back together! I'm going to, totes, have so much to put on my Facebook page today!"

"I have to find him!" Alfred said, desperately. "Where is he?"

"He's down in the Art Department!" Feliks replied and Alfred headed back toward the elevator, followed by his father, Toris and Feliks who would not missed this reunion for the world!

* * *

Arthur was looking at the final draft for the Ad poster that the Art Department had just finished making up and he was giving it a final check for mistakes that might have escaped detection but he could see no errors. A few more details and the campaign would be ready to show the client at the end of the week and Arthur could not wait to get it over with and he just hoped the client would like it.

He was just giving it the once over when his phone ran and he carefully put the poster down and dug into his pocket for his phone to look at the caller Id. He wondered why Allistor was calling him from Canada and he pushed the answer button.

"Hello, Al!" he greeted. "What do you want, you git?"

"Bunny!" his brother sounded agitated or excited, it was hard to tell with him. "Just shut up and listen! I know who your soul mate is!" Arthur gave his phone a indignant glare before returning it to his ear.

"I don't appreciate the joke, Allistor!" Arthur fumed. "My soul mate's gone, there's no finding him again and I don't find this at all funny!" On the other end of the phone, Allistor lost patience with his little brother.

"Arthur Britannia Kirkland, listen to me!" While Gilbert 'Kesesese'-ed at 'Britannia', Matthew's head came up at 'Arthur'. Could the person on the other end of the phone be Alfie's lost soul mate? Allistor seemed to think so. "I'm going to pass you over to someone! Listen to him, okay?" Allistor handed his phone to Matthew.

"Tell him what you told me!" he said. "Tell him about JFK!" Matthew took the phone and put carefully against his ear and said, "Hello!"

"Hello, who is this?" said the British voice on the other end. "If my wanker of a brother put you up to this, just don't bother! It's in poor taste, like all Al's jokes!"

"I promise," Matthew reassured the man on the other end of the phone. "I'm not in on any joke! My name is Matthew Williams! My little brother met his soul mate at JFK Airport when he was three but my father took him away and he never saw him again. I was talking about it just now when, suddenly Allistor took his phone out and called you! Please, are you Artie?"

Arthur just stood there with his phone to his ear, saying nothing! This could be a joke but the voice on the other end of the phone sounded so truthful. Could he know who his soul mate is? But what about Alfred?

"Are you still there?" the voice asked when he got no reply. "Please, are you Alfie's soul mate?"

"What's your brother's name?" Arthur asked breathlessly.

"Well, the family name is actually Williams-Jones," Matthew replied. "I use Williams! My brother is Alfred F Jones!" Arthur could not help the shocked laughter that came out of his mouth. Alfred! Alfred was his soul mate! But Alfred said his soul mate was dead!

No! Wait! Now Arthur thought about it, Alfred had never said anything about his soul mate being dead, he said his soul mate was _gone!_ Gone as in missing! Arthur had just assumed.

Matthew heard the laughter on the other end of the phone and he was worried he had just given Allistor's brother some kind of breakdown.

"Are you all right?" he asked, worried, looking at Allistor with a concern expression. Allistor held out his hand and Matthew gave him back the phone.

"Oi, Bunny!" he said, loudly. "You still with us?" Arthur gave another hysterical laugh.

"Is that right?" Arthur asked with ironical mirth in his voice. "My soul mate is called Alfred F Jones?"

"Aye!" Allistor replied.

"Does he work for Hetalia Advertising?" Allistor asked Matthew who confirmed that he did.

"Yes, he does!" Allistor told Arthur who gave another burst of laughter.

"Are you all right, Bunny?" Allistor was concerned now.

"Oh, I'm fine!" Arthur replied. "I'm better than fine, Al! I work with Alfred! He's my boyfriend!" There was a moment of silence on the phone and then Allistor began laughing.

"Only you, Artie!" he chuckled. "Only you! Well, why are you still nattering on the phone to me for! Go get 'em, Bunny!"

"Allistor!" Arthur said. "You're not a git any more!"

"I'll always be a git, Bunny!" Allistor laughed. "Now just go!" Allistor hung up and Arthur put his phone away and practically ran for the elevator, punching the button to get back to the office where Alfred should have returned with lunch. He waited for the doors to open but it was not happening quickly enough for him so he gave up and ran for the stairs. When he was out of sight, the elevator doors opened and Alfred, his father, Toris and Feliks spilled out of it and they headed for the Art Department while Feliks fiddled with his phone camera. He wanted this epic moment recorded.

* * *

Arthur burst out of stairwell, slightly out of breath and he ran for their office, passing a brown bag and two split cups that someone had dropped but not bothered to clean up but Arthur was too focus on get to his office, hoping Alfred had returned already. He was not losing Alfie this time, he could not! Fate would not be that cruel, would she?

To his disappointment, the office was empty. Should he wait? He did not want to wait! He had finally found his soul mate and it was the one he had fallen in love with! He wanted to be with him now, he had waited long enough!

Arthur made his way to the elevator to go down to the lobby to wait for him!

* * *

"Has any one seen Arthur Kirkland?" Alfred asked a group of people, including Raivis and Peter, who were standing around the water fountain when he could not find Arthur in the department where their ad poster was being printed.

"He was here early," Raivis replied. "Checking the poster you guys designed."

I think I saw him outside the elevator earlier," Peter said. "And then he disappeared up the stairs."

"Thanks, man!" Alfred replied and turned to the others, ignoring the fact that Feliks had his phone camera in his face. "He must have gone back up to the office!" And they made their way back to the elevator and Alfred punched the call button.

* * *

Arthur sighed in frustration when the elevator stopped but not at the ground floor. Someone must have call the elevator and it stopped on the way down. Why today of all days!

The doors opened and Arthur found himself looking at the one he wanted to see most. His soul mate's sky-blue eyes widened at the sight of Arthur standing in the elevator when he had expected it to be empty.

They stood staring at each other for a moment, saying nothing as if they could not believe their soul mate was right in front of them at last. Arthur's lips quivered as he finally broke the silence.

"Alfie!" Tears sprang into both their eyes as Alfred's million-dollar smile broke through.

"Artie!" It had a different sound to all the other times Alfred had called Arthur Artie! The last time it sounded like that, he was playing hide and seek with a four year old boy in an airport lounge. A sound reserved for his soul mate.

Arthur threw himself into Alfred's arms and Alfred held him tight like he would never let him go. Tears of joy flowed down Alfred's face while Arthur sobbed, "I've found you! I've finally found you!" Alfred unwrapped his arms from around Arthur, took his face in his hands and firmly placed his lips over his.

Arthur wrapped his arms around Alfred's waist and held him close as the kiss went on and on, like Alfred was trying to make up for twenty years in that single contact, unaware and uncaring that they had an audience and that the whole thing was being captured on camera phone. Alfred Sr wept with joy that his son had his soul mate back and would have what everyone else had. Toris was so happy for his friend and overjoyed that Alfred's years of loneliness were at an end. Feliks was so happy it turned out like this with no one getting their heart broken and this footage was too epic to go on to a Facebook page where only certain people could see it. No, the world should see it and so Feliks uploaded it to Youtube where he put all his other 'so epic, the whole world should see it!' stuff, under the title 'Man who lost soul mate at airport aged three finds him again twenty years later in elevator' It got so many hits in the first hour, the site almost crashed.

The kiss finally ended, most due to a need to breath, and they just stared into each other's tear-filled eyes.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again," Arthur sobbed. "Do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear!" Alfred saluted. "I'll stay so close to you, you'll be sick of the sight of me!" Arthur gave a tearful chuckle.

"Never happen!" he promised.

* * *

Green-fuels Man used a green beam from his eyes to build a wind turbine that began to spin and a nearby house lit up with power and then he flew up to the roof of another house and aimed his fists at it. Green pulses flew from them and solar panels appeared and that house also lit up. A mini Green-fuels Man used his power to float empty plastic bottles and paper to a large bin with a recycle symbol on it and a landfill emptied. The two superheroes flew to a river and conjured up a turbine that the water flowed through and, somewhere on a dark street, the street lamps illuminated everything around them. And finally, something simple! Green-fuels Man filled a family car with bio fuel while Mini Green-fuels Man look on smiling. Then, it was just an ordinary man filling the car with his little boy who looked up at his father with a look of worship on his face! And then there was a close up of the man's face.

"Be a superhero to your children!" he said. "Use renewable fuels and save the planet!" Then he picked the boy up and flew him around like Superman while the caption 'A Message from the World Environment Agency' appeared at the bottom of the TV screen. The TV ad had been running for two weeks and already, little children were running around with capes on, pretending to build 'big whirl windmills'.

Arthur and Alfred would never know whether their client, The World Environment Agency, accepted the campaign because they liked it or whether their new-found fame had swayed them. After the mini-crisis with Youtube almost going down under the weight of so many viewing Feliks's footage, the media picked up on it, wanting interviews with '_The_ Soul Mates' as they became dubbed. Their tale became one of the greatest love stories and there were rumours that one of the big film companies want to make a film of it. Alfred was naturally excited at the idea but Arthur was not so sure about having their lives plastered across the silver screen.

Things were going well for Alfred's parents as well. Discovering who Alfred's soul mate was had lifted Alfred Sr's sense of guilt somewhat and he went to his wife and eldest son with the great news and a much lighter heart. He and Madeline were becoming comfortable with each other again and Matthew's doubt about his father's commitment was shrinking and they were slowly pulling back together as a family and Alfred was ecstatic about it. They still had some way to go but the future was looking good.

Arthur's family all flew to New York when they heard that he had found his soul mate. They wanted to meet the man that should have been a part of their family for the past twenty years. Alice and Robert immediately hugged Alfred while Arthur's brothers commiserated with him for having Arthur as a soul mate.

Allistor and Francis also came, along with Gilbert and Matthew who hugged Arthur and then Alfred.

"I'm so happy for you, Alfie!" he said. Alfred wrapped his arms around his older brother and hugged him back.

"I'm happy for you too, Mattie!" Alfred replied. "I think we'll all be happy now!"

* * *

Feliks still put the footage on his Facebook page and Kiku moaned the fact he had missed out on seeing his friend and partner reunited with his lost soul mate. It was one of the most epic moments of all time in his view and he missed it but he did not regret finding his own soul mate. Hercules wrapped his arms around Kiku from behind and hugged him tight.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked. Kiku smiled.

"How we met," he replied and Kiku smiled as he remembered too.

**Yay! They finally know! I've had people cursing me, bring them so close to finding out then throwing a spanner in the works but finally they're together and you can stop screaming at me now XP I just wanted the ones who felt the most responsibility for what happened to have a hand in fixing it! Alfred Sr and Allistor should be feeling better about themselves now! :D**

**To Guest**** – IT'S OKAY! THEY REALISED! No tears necessary! Happily Ever After! :)**

**To Daiski29**** – You more than welcome and they were heartfelt! It was horrible! And frightening because it could happen anywhere! But their actions do pull us all together and that's why they won't win and I'm glad my story made your day better and I hope this chapter does the same! :)**

**To Normandy**** – Confusion dispelled! :D Allistor, Mattie and Alfred Sr played their part and the love-birds are together! And it's on to the next pair! ;)**

**To Guest**** – I'll think about it but I've had trouble trying to get my stories on other sites. I might try again some time!**

**Well, that's my UsUk arc! I'm planning a one-shot next for all the GreecexJapan shippers out there and then I'm planning a RoChu story arc so stay tuned for that!**

**Till next week,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**

**PS. I made a massive continuity error that had Eduard in both New York and Canada. I've put this right now! Raivis and Eduard are now Raivis and Peter from the first story and, as this is some time from that story, they've grown up and now work for Hetalia Advertising! ;)**


	16. Wake Up To Love!

**To all those who requested Giripan, your wish is my command! Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Wake Up To Love!**_

_A week before Arthur arrived …._

_**You don't have to be mad to work here but it helps!**_

Kiku Honda could not help but agree with the amusing poster stuck up on the wall in the Art Department, especially in regards to The Hetalia Advertising Agency! Everybody had some kind of eccentricity or quirk that set them apart from everyone else. His boss, Feliks Lukasiewicz, had some weird pony fetish and every other week, he would come up with some reason to have ponies in the building and they nearly always got loose and it was left to Raivis Galante and his soul mate, Peter, to round up the equestrienne Houdinis. Kiku remembered when he first started work at the agency, he was almost trampled by them but now he was immune to the sight, it was such a regular occurrence.

Kiku's co-worker was Alfred F Jones, a young blonde, blue-eyed American who's cheerful, energetic personality hid a tragic circumstance. Alfred had found and lost his soul mate when he was three years old and the poor man had no idea who his soul mate was. Kiku prayed that, one day, Alfred's ancestors would lead his soul mate back to him, just as Kiku prayed that his ancestors would, one day, help him find his own soul mate. Alfred had a obsession with superheroes and, on more than one occasion, tried to insert them into the ad campaigns they created. It had taken Kiku a long time to prevent Alfred from creating such a campaign for a funeral company.

But the weirdest person at the Hetalia Advertising Agency had to be Hercules Kapusi, someone he had seen often but never spoken to because every time Kiku had seen him, he was asleep, like he was now! He was a dark haired man with a weird strand of hair that stuck up in the middle and to the back of his head and curled round in two directions. Kiku had no idea what colour Hercules's eyes were as he had never seen them open and he always had a cat on his head. Right now, said cat was asleep, rather like his owner who was snoozing away. Standing propped up against the wall!

How Hercules managed that was a complete mystery and people used to make bets on how long he would stay asleep. Kiku inched his way round the sleeping Greek to collect the rough draft of the poster that he and Alfred had created for a quit smoking campaign.

"How long has he been asleep?" he asked Simon, the man who handed him his poster. Simon looked at the upright sleeper.

"Two hours," he replied. "Another hour and I win the bet!"

"I wish you luck!" he replied. Taking the poster, he inched round Hercules again and left the room. Just as he was out of sight, Hercules opened his green eyes and his cat also woke with a stretch and a meow.

"Hello, Hercules!" his co-worker said. "Back with us! You just missed Kiku Honda again, he came for his poster. I swear, half of the people who work here have never seen you awake!" Hercules gave a yawn.

"I can't help it!" he said drowsily, pushing himself away from the wall. "Narcolepsy is such an inconvenience!"

"You're lucky Feliks is understanding about that," Simon replied. "Some bosses wouldn't want someone working for them who can fall asleep at any time. It helps that your artwork is off the chart! Speaking of, there's some work on your desk at this moment!" Hercules went to his work desk and began drawing while his cat (Larry?) curled up on his lap. He want to make some decent headway before he fell asleep again and he was not lying when he said he found his sleeping disorder problematic! Apart from all the usual disruption to his day to day life, he, like everyone else, wanted to find his soul mate but how could he do that when he could not stay awake long enough.

* * *

"Great, dude!" Alfred dove over to look at the poster when Kiku arrived back in their office. "You got it! Hey, was that Hercules guy down there?"

"Hai!" Kiku replied, laying the poster down on the desk.

"Was he still asleep against the wall?"

"Hai!" Alfred looked at his watch.

"He's been asleep for two hours now?" he commented. "If he wakes up soon..." Alfred's phone rang and he answered.

"Hi, dude!" he said down his phone. "Great, man! Thanks! Bye!" he ended the call.

"That Hercules dude just woke up," he said. "I win this time!"

"You bet on how long he would sleep?" Kiku did not know that the betting came up as far as their floor and he wondered if the poor man realised that his sleeping habits were a part of the betting pool that goes on between employees.

"Yeah," Alfred replied. "Guy has some kind of sleeping problem! Neko …., Necro …..!"

"Narcolepsy?" Kiku supplied. "That must be most inconvenient for the poor man. I don't think I have ever seen him awake!"

"Dude could win gold at the Olympics for sleeping," Alfred agreed. "Still, the guy's good at his job. And Feliks likes people with quirks!" Kiku personally found everyone quirky in Hetalia Advertising. Feliks and his ponies, Toris chasing around after his soul mate, trying to keep him out of trouble and generally just worrying about him, Raivis and Peter, well, Kiku was not sure what their jobs were, apart from chasing around after Feliks's ponies, Alfred's missing soul mate, although that was more tragic than quirky. And, of course, the narcoleptic down in Art.

Kiku wondered where he fit into all this. He did not think he was quirky. Did the others think he was quirky? No, Kiku was sure he was quite normal. Sure, he was protective of his personal space and Manga and Anime were big with him, especially Yaoi, and he liked reading the mood and refraining from speaking but did all that make him _quirky?_ Kiku shook his head. No!

They examine the rough draft of the poster, discussing what was good and what could be improved and they spent the afternoon making corrections and alterations. Kiku would take it back down to the Art Department in the morning.

* * *

Hercules arrived at work after a good night sleep but it did not feel like it. He was already feeling drowsy again as he sat at his desk, Larry on his shoulder, ready to get on with his work. He managed to finish what he had been working on the day before and put it to one side, ready to start on his next project.

"Hello, Kiku!" he heard one of his co-workers say. "Got the improved copy for us to put together?"

"Hai!" Hercules heard a quiet, polite voice say. He was about to turn to look at the owner of the voice when he was hit by a wave of fatigue and the lure of sleep became too much. He put his head down on to his desk and he went out like a light.

Kiku handed the corrected poster over to Simon who turned round toward Hercules's desk, about to call to him, only to find Hercules flat out with his head on his desk, his cat curled up by his head.

"He's out again," Kiku looked at the sleeping man closely. He had olive skin and hair the colour of chocolate, eyes …. still unknown. But he was attractive!

"I'll get Hercules on this when he wakes up," Simon promised and Kiku nodded. With one last look at the sleeping Greek, Kiku left to go get some lunch with Alfred.

* * *

Hercules's finally woke, feeling a little more refreshed and he was given the corrected poster to work on. He worked on it for a few hours before getting some lunch for him and Larry. When he returned, he had another narcoleptic episode but managed to get some more work done before he clocked off to go home. He fed Larry and made himself some dinner before relaxing in front of the TV for a couple of hours before retiring to bed early.

* * *

The next day while Alfred and Kiku were sipping coffee (from a local café, not the vending machine) and discussing the campaign they were working on when Feliks wandering into their office.

"Hey, Alfred!" he said. "I, like, need a favour! We, like, have a new guy coming from Britain. I, totes, need someone to meet him at the airport, like, on Monday and take him to his hotel. You game!" Alfred shrugged.

"Sure," he replied. "Yeah! I'll meet the guy!"

"Righteous!" Feliks replied. "His name's Kirkland and we were, like, totes, lucky to get him! He's, like, fabulous at his job!" Kiku looked forward to meeting another quirky employee that Feliks was adding to his collection. Kiku wondered what Kirkland's quirk would be. Only time would tell!

* * *

It had taken Hercules a few days, between other projects and narcoleptic episodes, to finish the anti-smoking campaign poster and by the time he had, it was Friday. On the poster was a family enjoying some television while the father figure smoked and, as the smoke lifted into the air, it took on the image of the Grim Reaper looming over the father. A caption on the poster said 'When you smoke, can you feel a presence in the room?'. Simple but it got the message across!

A message was sent up to Production and Alfred and Kiku came down to collect it as it would be presented to the client the next day but when they got down to the Art Department, Hercules was asleep again. Kiku had asked Feliks once why he employed so many people with unusual traits and Feliks shrugged and said, "Quirky people are, like, creative people!"

The poster met with Kiku's approval and it particularly freaked Alfred out who was a chronic phasmophobic and the image of the Grim Reaper was very ghost-like to him. He reasoned that if it scared him, maybe it could scared people out of smoking! Kiku smiled at Alfred's naivety but he like the poster. He looked at Hercules who was sat in in chair with his head back, the ever present Larry on his lap as he snoozed. It was funny that whenever Kiku saw Hercules when he was asleep (which was every time he saw him), his cat was asleep too.

"How long has he been out this time?" Alfred asked, looking at the snoozing Greek. Simon looked at his watch.

"About twenty minutes!" he replied. "Good thing he got all his work finished!"

"Well, I have twenty bucks on him sleeping for another hour," Alfred replied. Kiku was not sure he approved of this betting on someone's sleeping issues so he never joined in himself.

"Gotcha!" Simon replied and went in search of anyone else wanting to make a bet. Kiku sighed and, with one last look at Hercules, followed Alfred as they left the Department.

* * *

The ad campaign was well-received and Hetalia Advertising had another happy client. Feliks heaped praise and congratulations on both Alfred and Kiku on a job well done and Alfred managed to persuade Kiku to go for a celebratory drink. As they sat sipping at their drinks, Alfred mused about what their next project would be.

"We'll find out on Monday," Kiku replied. "And you have to pick up the new man, don't you?"

"Yeah!" Alfred replied, sipping his beer. "He gets in about four so I probably won't be back at work till the next day after that. I just wished I wasn't picking him up at JFK! I hate that airport!" Kiku nodded, a little sadly, knowing that was where Alfred had met, and lost, his soul mate when he was three. It had given Alfred a dislike for the airport ever since he was told and Kiku decided to change the subject.

"I wonder if Hercules has found his soul mate," he pondered. He had to admit that he found the Greek physical attractive but he knew nothing about Hercules. He had never spoken to him because he was always asleep when Kiku saw him.

"Not sure the dude's been awake long enough," Alfred replied. "How he gets so much work done is beyond me! I think I've only seen him awake maybe twice since I've worked here!"

"Really!" Kiku exclaimed. "I haven't seen him awake at all! What colour are his eyes?"

"They're green," Alfred replied. "Guy seems like a bit of an airhead but I've been told that if he starts talking philosophy, he can go for hours, not even his Narcolepsy can stop him apparently!" Kiku wondered if he would ever see Hercules's eyes or hear him speak. It was kind of like the Scottish Loch Ness Monster, other people saw it but not him!

They left the bar and walked home, parting company near Alfred's apartment and Kiku made his way back to his own place and he thought about the sleepy Greek. He was now burning with curiosity to see the man's eyes but he always seemed to be around Hercules when he was in the middle of a sleeping episode.

As Kiku lay down to sleep, he wondered if he would ever see the Greek man's eyes.

* * *

Monday arrived and a new project landed on Alfred and Kiku's desk. A project that involved an ad campaign for renewable fuels and recycling for The World Environment Agency. Alfred was ecstatic.

"Yay!" he cheered. "Saving the world from Global Warming! We could totally do a superhero on this, dude! Green Fuels Man! Yeah! That could totally work! What do you think, Kiku?" Kiku smiled. Alfred would always suggest superheroes and direct opposition to the idea did not work with Alfred so Kiku always acted indirectly.

"It's an idea to consider," he replied, already formulating ways to steer Alfred in other directions. Alfred did good work but he was obsessed with superheroes. "But we should consider other things as well. We'll keep that idea in mind, though. Alfred nodded, enthusiastically while Kiku smiled again. Westerners were so easy!

They ran over other ideas for the campaign, putting some in the 'Yes' pile and discarding others until Alfred looked at his watch.

"Damn!" he swore. "It's half four! I should have picked that Kirkland dude up half an hour ago!" He dove to his desk, picking up his car keys and a sign with Kirkland on it and ran out the door, shouting a 'see you later!' to Kiku as he disappeared.

Kiku looked over the ideas that they had come up with so far, even the superhero idea. He wondered if, perhaps this once, to let it pass through this time. But how to pull it off?

Kiku sighed. Apart from looking over the ideas, which he had done twice, there was nothing else to do until tomorrow when he and Alfred decided what they were going to do and set the ball rolling so he decided to wander down to the Art Department to see what they were currently working on. Perhaps it would inspire some ideas.

The Art Department was buzzing like usual, Simon was wandering around collecting work and putting new projects down and everybody was hard at work with the exception of Hercules, who was once again asleep, propped up against a column with Larry curled up on his head while everyone milled around him.

"Hello, Kiku!" Simon greeted. "Got some new work for us?"

"Not yet," Kiku replied. "But we have a new project so we might have something for you later. Anti Global Warming campaign." Simon grinned.

"Alfred suggested superheroes yet?" he winked and Kiku smiled at him.

"You know Alfred-san so well," he replied.

"LOOK OUT!" Everyone turned to see Raivis chasing an errant pony who had got into the Art Department and was trotting toward them. The pony raced past them but caught the sleeping Hercules and sent him falling to the floor, Larry leaping off his head with a yowl as Hercules tumbled. Directly on top of Kiku who was standing near him.

Hercules awoke when the pony chased into him and found himself falling to the ground but instead of hitting the hard floor, he landed on something soft and looked down to see what it was.

Kiku hit the floor and then Hercules's weight came down on top of him and he looked up at the Greek.

Soft brown eyes gazed up into grassy green orbs.

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump!_

Neither of them moved, caught up in each other's eyes and the feeling of their newly beating hearts. Hercules stared down at the small Japanese man under him, with black hair and the brownest eyes he had ever seen, making his heart thump in a way that Hercules never thought it ever could. _So this is my soul mate!_ Hercules thought. _Fate has been kind!_

Kiku finally saw the eyes that he wanted to see and they had changed his world as he felt his heart pound in his chest and sped up. They were the colour of fresh grass or summer leaves, reminding Kiku of the season. They also look slightly drowsy, not surprising as Hercules had just been rudely awakened by a wayward pony. All the time he had been working in the same building, every time he had seen him, he had no idea he had been looking at his soul mate. Hercules gave a gentle smile as he finally got up and gave his hand to Kiku and pulled him from the floor.

"Hercules Kapusi!" he said.

"Kiku Honda!" Kiku replied, without realising that he had not let go of Hercules's hand as he stared up at his taller soul mate. "I am very pleased to meet you!" And he smiled back at Hercules.

Everybody stopped to stare at the couple. Some were perplexed at what was going on and others guessed what had happened and they began to applaud the new couple, making Kiku and Hercules blush while Raivis was still trying to catch the pony.

"What do we do now?" Kiku asked. Hercules pulled Kiku over to the elevator.

"See Feliks!" Hercules replied.

* * *

"Of course you can have some time off!" Feliks exclaimed as Hercules made the request. Feliks, a closet romantic, would never stand in the way of these two getting to know each other. "You should, like, totally have some time to yourselves! You should, totes, go somewhere alone and, like, enjoy yourselves! In fact, go now! Take two weeks, now shoo!"

"But Feliks-san!" Kiku said. "What about Alfred-san? We were to begin a new project, I can't just leave him like that!"

"Don't worry about that!" Feliks insisted, waving it off. "I'll, like, put the new guy with him! It'll be, totes, okay now go!" Before Kiku could say any more, he was pulled out of Feliks's office by Hercules.

"We have the time off we need," he said. "Don't question it! Let's just go!" And he lead Kiku out of the building.

* * *

Hercules stayed awake long enough to book a getaway at the Island of Nantucket and they flew there at the nearest opportunity. They spend time talking about each other, doing things that they found they had in common and building their relationship. Nights eventually lead to passion as the they inevitably fell in love with the one chosen for them by Fate.

One night, as they sat in front of the TV after a day of sailing, the news was showing and one news item caught Kiku's attention.

"Today, a video uploaded to YouTube almost caused the site to go down with the amount of views it received in a single hour," the female newsreader announced. "The video, which shows the meeting of two soul mates who met and parted when they were three years of age with no knowledge of who each other were, has attracted world wide interest with over a million hits within the first fifteen minutes alone." Kiku sat up. That sounded like Alfred's story!The newsreader gave a laughing smile.

"Those with sentimental dispositions," she said. "Have your handkerchiefs ready!"

The picture cut to a shot, clearly phone footage, of the back of, what Kiku recognised as the back of Alfred's head, running around the Art Department of Hetalia Advertising and making his way to the elevator and waiting. The elevator opened and out stepped a man with messy blond hair and eyes a lighter green than Hercules's, topped with the biggest eyebrows Kiku had ever seen. The man's lip shook.

"Alfie!" he said with a British tone in his voice.

"Artie!" Kiku heard Alfred's voice say. The British man flew into Alfred's embrace and they held each other. Tears filled Kiku's eyes at the poignant sight as 'Artie' sobbed about finding Alfred and Alfred soundly kissed his found-again soul mate.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again," Arthur cried when the kiss ended. "Do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear!" And Alfred gave a salute. "I'll stay so close to you, you'll be sick of the sight of me!"

"Never happen!" Arthur replied. The picture cut back to the newsreader who had a misty look in her eye.

"_The_ Soul Mates!" she commented, coining the name that Alfred and Arthur would be known as. "Wonderful!" Kiku shut the TV off.

"My friend found his soul mate!" he said, a little stunned. "I don't recognise the man! He must be Kirkland! I missed my friend finding his soul mate again!" Hercules wrapped his arm around Kiku.

"Look at it this way," he comforted his soul mate. "If we had not found each other, you would still be working with Alfred and Artie would have been sent to work with someone else and they might never have found each other again. Everything happens for a reason!" Kiku thought about what Hercules had said and realised that what he said was true and smiled. His good fortune had lead to his friend's good fortune. What a philosophical way to look at it!

Kiku pulled himself out of his self-reflection to speak to Hercules, only to find that his soul mate had fallen asleep again. He smiled and lay his head on Hercules's shoulder and joined him.

Life was good!

**A bit of a head-cannon for you there, that Greece sleeps a lot because of Narcolepsy. From what I've found out about it, it's a myth that narcoleptics fall asleep at a moment's notice. They feel exhausted and just have to sleep and they can't sleep standing up unsupported. Human anatomy won't allow it. I don't know everything about it so if I've got anything wrong, please tell me! I got fourteen reviews for the last chapter, I'm absolutely thrilled. You guys are the best! XDDD**

**To Normandy**** – As you see, it was JapanxGreece. The next pair is RussiaxChina so I hope you enjoy! :)**

**To Daiski29**** – I'm glad you enjoyed it. Those twits finally figured it out! With a little help! ;) And you're right! They ARE idiots! XD**

**To Amawesomereviewer**** – Yes, it was a long time coming but all good things! ;P And more you shall have!**

**To Anon**** – I would like to thank you for your very nice review! :) In a universe where your soul mate could be anyone or any gender, I think homophobic attitudes wouldn't stand a chance and everybody would just accept it all and I agree that it should be like that in real life :D Hope it will be one day!**

**And on to the next story arc! I can't say too much about it because I haven't quite figured it all out yet but it will be RussiaxChina and it's another blind soul mate story as I wrote about Yao being at the same blind school as Feli in Love is Blind. Let's see how that plays out!**

**Till then,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	17. Rescue Me : Love On The Run!

**Here we go! The first chapter of the RoChu Story arc! Warning : Natalya's a real head-case in this! Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 1: Love On The Run!**_

Ivan Braginski sat on a chair in the Relatives Room of the hospital with Matthew Williams by his side and Matthew's soul mate, Gilbert Beilschmidt, next to him as they waited for someone to come and tell them that the operation was over and how it went. Across the room sat a young Chinese man with choppy brown hair and golden-brown eyes with large eyebrows, trying to look emotionless but, every now and then, a glimpse of fearful concern flashed in his eyes. A large plaster graced his cheek and his arm was in a sling but he had gotten off lightly compared to his brother.

Ivan slumped down in his chair, his face sinking into the scarf that his older sister had given him when he left Russia for Alaska and then on to Canada and he wished she was here now. How could he have let this happen! He should have gotten Yao out when Natalya turned up in Canada as part of Ivan's helicopter crew but he thought he could hide Yao's existence from her but, in the end, it was futile and now an innocent man was dead, Li Xiao had been hurt and Yao was in the operating theatre, fighting for his life.

Everyone looked up as the door opened and a man in doctor's scrubs with light-brown hair and hazel eyes, came in and looked round.

"Are you with Yao Wang?" he asked and both Ivan and Li Xiao stood up.

"I'm his brother!" Li Xiao replied.

"I'm his soul mate!" Ivan revealed. "And his fiancé!"

"I'm Doctor Bell!" the doctor said. "The operation went as well as could be expected! If he makes it through the next twenty-four hours, he has a chance. The rest is up to him now!"

"Can we see him, Doctor?" Ivan asked. The doctor nodded.

"He's being moved to a private room in ICU, right now," he replied. "Give us time to get him settled and I'll have a nurse take you to him!"

"Thank you, Doctor!" Li Xiao said and the doctor left the room. Ivan sat back down and rested his head on the back of his chair, his usual smile, absent. After all, other than the fact that Yao had survived the operation, Ivan had very little to smile about. His violet eyes just stared at the ceiling above his head while Matthew came to sit beside him and put a reassuring hand on Ivan's arm. Ivan turned to look at his workmate.

"This is my fault, Matvey!" he condemned himself. "I knew what Natalya was like, how unstable she was. I should have done more to protect my sunflower!"

"Ivan," Matthew said, softly. "You hadn't seen her in years! You had no idea what she was capable of, how truly unstable she had become!"

"I knew how obsessive she could become," Ivan replied. "She's the reason why I went to Alaska when I met Yao! I knew if she knew about Yao, she would become …... difficult!"

"You could not have known that she would do what she did!" Matthew insisted. "No one would expect somebody to do something like that! This was all her, Ivan! All you did was find your soul mate, the most natural and desired thing in the world!"

"She wanted to be my soul mate!" Ivan replied. "She obsessed about it!"

"But she wasn't!" Matthew stated. "And never would be! Siblings are never soul mates and she should have accepted that! Instead, she went against nature and let it destroy her sanity!"

"Is it bad that I'm glad she's been sectioned?" Ivan asked. "Does that make me a bad brother?"

"No!" Gilbert spoke up now. "It's hard but she showed how dangerous she was and now she's where she can get help! She was a threat to you and everyone around her! It's not awesome but true!"

"He's right, Ivan!" Matthew said. The door opened again and a nurse with black hair in a ponytail and blue eyes, came in.

"Hello," she greeted. "I'm here to take you to Yao Wang's room." Everyone stood up and left the room. The nurse led them through corridors and finally opened the door to a private room.

"Gil and I will wait out here," Matthew said, when the nurse said that only two people could be in the room. "You're his family!" Ivan smiled at his colleague and then followed Li Xiao into the room.

* * *

Ivan had already caught the antiseptic smell of the hospital outside the room and the next thing he detected was the beep of the heart monitor and the hiss of the respirator. Then the hospital bed came into view with its occupant. The Chinese man that lay there looked small, his hair out of its usual ponytail, trailing out of the bandages that cover most of his head. Wires snaked out from under his hospital gown and trailed out to the heart monitor while the breathing tube was attached to the respirator as it hissed, pushing air into Yao's lungs. His skin looked pale and waxy with dark shadows under his closed eyes and Ivan could not believe that his soul mate had come to this!

Li Xiao sat in a chair on the right side of the bed, taking his older brother's hand and holding it tight. Li Xiao had spent years, teasing Yao and irritating like any other bratty younger brother. Yao had always pretending it made him angry but Li Xiao knew he had secretly like it! Li Xiao, for all his help, never let Yao feel like he was different because of his impediment. Younger brothers irritated older brothers, that was the way it was! Now Li Xiao wished he had been less of a pain.

Ivan took a seat of the left side of Yao's bed and held his left hand, which seemed small in his large grip, gazing at the gold engagement ring with the jade stone that he himself had placed there only a year ago. He should have done it sooner! He should have done it when they left Alaska for Canada and married quickly but he thought they had time! He had managed to leave Russia before Natalya had found out about Yao and he never thought she would find out where he had gone to until she turned up as his new co-pilot on the Mountain Rescue team that he worked on. She pretended that it was all just a co-incidence and never gave any indication that she knew about Yao. Ivan had made arrangements to get Yao out of Canada to the safety of his native China but Natalya had managed to get to him any way!

Ivan looked down at the ring again, remembering the day he had met Yao, the day he had proposed, everything!

* * *

_Four years ago …..._

Ivan Arlovsky had finally achieved his pilot's licence and finished his training in piloting helicopters. He called his older half-sister, Katyusha to tell her and she was ecstatic for him but no sooner had he finished his call than his phone rang and he groaned as he saw who it was. He should ignore it but Natalya would just keep calling and turning his phone off would just mean a harder time when they met in person. Natalya was becoming increasingly harder to deal with as her affection for him went beyond brother and sister and he was no longer comfortable in her presence. Natalya took after their father, General Dmitri Arlovsky, sometimes called General Winter because of his cold demeanour but even he found his daughter's obsession with his son disturbing and had arranged for her to see a psychiatrist but her obsession persisted. It accumulated with Ivan leaving the family home when Natalya demanded he marry her.

Since then, she had gone into stalker mode!

"Hello, brother!" her sweet but creepy voice seeped down the phone when he answered. "I've heard you've got your licence! Now you can get a pilot's job and we can marry! Marry me, brother! Marry me!" Ivan wondered how she had found out so fast.

"Nyet!" he said with determination. "We are not soul mates and, more importantly, we are brother and sister! That is not natural! Give up your obsession of me, Natalya! Find your soul mate and I'll find mine!" The voice on the phone turned to an angry hiss.

"I know my heart," Natalya growled. "It will beat if you love me! Do not let someone else make your heart beat, brother! You'll both regret it if you do!" Ivan switched his phone off on the disturbing call. Natalya had made threats against Ivan's future soul mate before and it made him dread finding his life partner and he had long since made a plan for that eventuality.

Ivan was born in Alaska, giving him dual citizenship with the US and he would use that to his advantage when he finally found his soul mate because they would not be safe in Russia. They would go to Alaska, his soul mate would be guaranteed citizenship through Ivan and Ivan would change his name, to Braginski, which was his mother's name before marrying his father and it was Katyusha's name before marrying her soul mate, Eduard Von Bock. From there, they would find away to disappear where Natalya could never find them.

Then, one day, the inevitable happened.

It was just an ordinary day with Ivan doing an every day thing, shopping for groceries and wandering the aisles for his required items. As he searched the shelves for ingredients for Borscht, he could hear two male voices, chatting in the next aisle in a language he did not understand but it sounded like Chinese. Over the aisle, he could see the back of their heads, one with choppy dark brown, almost black hair and the other's was a similar colour but it was longer and was in a ponytail, draped over his left shoulder. They chatted back and forth, maybe discussing what to buy and so forth, so Ivan went back to his own shopping and moved down the aisle, looking for the other items on his list.

He did not realise that the two Chinese men were also moving down the aisle on the opposite side and, as he turned at the end of the aisle to go into the next one, he found himself crashing into the older man who, being smaller than Ivan, was knocked to the ground, almost taking the younger, who was holding his arm, down with him.

"Yao!" the younger man cried.

"Prosti! _(I'm sorry!_)" Ivan exclaimed, reaching his hand down for the Chinese man to take so he could help him up but the younger …... Ivan had thought the other was older but he was little more than a teenager with gold-brown eyes and substantial eyebrows ….. knelt down to help the other man to his feet and Ivan's hand was ignored. Ivan thought that was rude, after all he had not meant to knock the man down, and he took a good look at the man who had paid no attention to his attempt to help.

The older Chinese man had eyes that were darker than the younger and they resembled each other enough for Ivan to guess that they were brothers but he was not prepared for what happened next.

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump!_

Ivan immediately put his hand over his heart, as if to confirm that it was beating and realised that the day he had both longed for and dreaded was finally here! His soul mate was standing before him but the man's face gave no indication that he realised that and then Ivan noticed something about the man. His eyes seemed to look right through him, as if he was not there and that's when he realised. His new sunflower was blind! Ivan knew that this meeting had put his new soul mate in extreme danger but his blindness would make him even more vulnerable.

"A ty govorish' po Russki? (_Do you speak Russian?_)" he asked. His soul mate cocked his head and his brother just stared at the tall Russian in their way.

"Duìbùqǐ! Wǒ bùnéng shuō èyǔ! _(I'm sorry! I can't speak Russian!)_" the older man replied in his native tongue. "Nǐ, huòxǔ, shuō zhōngguó huà? (_Do you, perhaps, speak Chinese?)_ Or maybe English, aru?"

"Da!" Ivan replied, happy that he could actually converse with his sunflower, even if it was not in his native tongue. "I can speak English! I am happy but also sad at finally meeting you! I am Ivan Arlovsky!" The Chinese man looked confused.

"I am Yao Wang!" he replied. "This is my younger brother, Li Xiao! Why are you happy but sad to meet me. aru?" Ivan was careful to take Yao's hand and gently pull it forward to put it on his chest so Yao could feel his heart beating. Yao's sightless eyes widened with surprise at the thumping under his hand.

"You are my soul mate!" he breathed. Then his face fell. "Now I'm sad! My heart can't beat for you because I cannot see your eyes. I am blind, aru!" Ivan put his other hand over the hand that Yao still had against Ivan's chest.

"That's not important to me, Podsolnukh! (_Sunflower!_)," Ivan replied. "But my finding of you places you in great danger!"

"What do you, like, mean?" Li Xiao demanded. Ivan sighed.

"I'm thinking that we should go somewhere and talk!" he said and they went to a nearby coffee shop for a deep discussion.

* * *

As they walked to Ivan's favourite coffee shop, Ivan learnt about his new soul mate. He and his brother were having a holiday, to take in the cultural ambience of other countries and Russia had been their next stop. Although Yao could not see the sights that his brother could, he like to learn about the different places they visited. Yao told Ivan that he was a teaching assistant in the blind school that he himself had attended and he was the legal guardian for his fifteen year old brother who had been a help on this trip, guiding him around unfamiliar places so Ivan accepted that Li Xiao would be part of the plan. He also told Ivan about how he lost his sight in a car accident. The sad thing was the damage was repairable with an operation but it was in a dangerous part of the brain and, just one slip, Yao could be permanent brain-damaged or could even die so no doctor would touch it!

They sat in the coffee shop, sipping their beverages as Ivan told him about himself. That his parents were not soul mates as his father's soul mate had died and he had married a widow with a young daughter, his half-sister, Katyusha. He mentioned being a qualified pilot and he also said about the fact that he was born in Alaska so he could bring that up when he outlined his plan for their protection. Then he touched on the problem subject.

His insane little sister!

"Natalya has inappropriate feelings toward me," Ivan explained. "I have quite often felt stalked by her and she has made clear the danger she presents to anyone who causes my heart to beat! Even my father cannot bring her under control and I fear for your safety once she finds out about you! I am sorry, Podsolnukh! This will change your life forever!"

"She's, like, that dangerous?" Li Xiao asked. Ivan nodded.

"I made a plan for when I found my soul mate," Ivan told them. "But it will mean you give up your life as you know it! The plan will be to go to Alaska where I am a citizen and I will change my name and then we go somewhere else!"

"Why not stay in Alaska, aru?" Yao asked.

"Natalya will know to look there," Ivan replied. "It would not be a safe place to hide! You will not be safe!"

"And you expect us to just, like, leave everything behind!" Li Xiao exclaimed and turned to his older brother. "Why don't we, like, just go home and forget this happened?"

"Do you wish to deny your brother his soul mate?" Ivan replied, desperate not to lose Yao now that he had found him. "And if Natalya finds out my heart is beating, she will not stop until she finds out who Yao is and she will come after him! I'm sorry, Li Xiao! For this reason, I almost did not want to find Yao but I have now and I must do everything I can to protect him. Remember, I, too must give up the life I know. Katyusha is my normal sister but I will have to leave her behind to protect Yao!"

"You don't sound like someone who scares easily," Yao commented. "She really is that much of a threat, aru!"

"Da!" Yao went silent as he lapsed into thought. When he felt someone crash into him, he never expected it to be his soul mate and he certainly never expected it to overturn his life in this way. On the run from his soul mate's insane, incestuous-minded sister!

But Ivan seriously feared for Yao's life! An over-reaction! Yao did not think so!

"If you believe the danger is that great!" Yao said, slowly. "Then we have no choice! I will go with you, Ivan! Li Xiao, the choice is yours! You can come with me or I can send you to Im Yong Soo, although I would rather you came with me, aru!"

"I do not think that would be safe," Ivan commented. "I believe Natalya would not hesitate to use your brother to force you to go to her! It would be safer if he stays with us!"

"I'm not letting you go to, like, a strange country without me, anyway!" Li Xiao said, adamantly. "You wouldn't last five minutes until you, like, got used to the place. If you're going to do this, I'm going too!"

Ivan smiled. He had his soul mate and Yao was going to agree to the plan and now he would put it into action.

* * *

Flights to Alaska were ordered but Yao and Li Xiao went on a different flight to Ivan, who's older sister had met him at the airport in secret to see her brother one last time with a gift of a scarf, that she had made just for him, and they met up in Anchorage where they stayed for a while, changing Ivan's name from Arlovsky to Braginski and organising Yao's citizenship as his soul mate and, as his younger brother's guardian, Li Xiao's but they did not stay too long. Ivan managed to find a job in Canada as the pilot of a mountain rescue helicopter pilot and managed to acquire a work visa for himself and a six-month visa for Yao and Li Xiao and they began a new life in Canada. In the six months, Ivan applied for permanent citizenship and it was granted to him and, by extension, to his soul mate and his little brother as well. They were finally free!

For the next three years, at least!

**It probably isn't that easy to get citizenship in Canada, I'm not sure what the procedure is but, as anyone who's read the rest of Heartbeat will know, that's where Ivan ended up. Li Xiao, of course, is Hong Kong. I don't know how dual nationality works either but I made Ivan dual nationality so he could have a way to get Yao somewhere safe! To those who wonder how Katyusha shows up later, all will be revealed. ;)**

**To Daiski29**** – If I can make you like a story that doesn't contain your ship, I've done my job right and I'm very proud right now! XD**

**To Guest**** – I think Giripan is loved the whole Hetalia World over! XD And long may it reign! **

**To Normandy**** – Hercules, Kiku and a mountain of kitties, the prefect combination! ;)**

**In the next chapter, I hope to go into Ivan and Yao's life together and, maybe later, we'll hear more about a certain rescue mission involving a certain drunk climber! XP**

**Till next time,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	18. Rescue Me : Welcome To Canada

**Hello again! I'm back with the next chapter as promise! Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya! (Am I getting that name the right way round? I've seen both ways so I'm confused O_o)**

_**Chapter 2 : Welcome To Canada**_

"Where is Big Brother, Father?" Natalya actually demanded that of General Arlovsky, of 'General Winter'! Not even Ivan would confront his father in such a way yet, despite calling him father, it was like Natalya was demanded answers from one of his subordinates and Dmitri did not like it one bit.

"I don't know, Natalya," he retorted and decided to drive home a few home truths. "And I wouldn't tell you if I did. You've driven your brother away with your obsession, he just wanted to get away from you. This fantasy about marrying your own brother stops now, he's not crazy enough to believe that marrying your own sibling is natural. Or even legal! Forget him and find your soul mate!"

"He is my soul mate!" Natalya hissed. "He's the one I'm destined to live my life with!"

"NO, HE ISN'T!" Dmitri roared, standing over his disturbed daughter. "You don't make his heart beat, how could you, being his sister? And he doesn't make your heart beat either." Natalya was not intimidated by her father's temper.

"I don't need a beating heart to know that he should be mine," she said with conviction. Dmitri grabbed Natalya's arm.

"Do I have to have you committed to drive it home?" he threatened. "You will leave Ivan alone, you will not try to find him or your next room will have padded white walls. Do you understand me?"

"You wouldn't dare!" Natalya hissed.

"You forget who you're talking to, Natalya," her father replied. "I'm General Winter and I will do what I must to protect the family, even against family!" He released Natalya who rubbed her arm, turned on her heel and stormed out of her father's room. Dmitri picked up his phone, dialled and waited.

"Sergei?" he said. "I want my daughter watched. Let me know if she tries to leave the country, especially for Alaska." Yes, Dmitri Arlovsky knew where his son had gone and what his plan was and he would do what he could to keep his insane daughter from finding Ivan. Despite his cold demeanour, he loved his family and he would protect his only son. And his son's soul mate.

* * *

Ivan, Yao and Li Xiao spent the first few weeks in Canada in rented accommodation while they looked for a house to purchase. Had Ivan been hiding his soul mate from anyone else, his father would have condemned him as a coward but even General Arlovsky had to admit that Natalya was a different case. You could not eliminate family and Natalya was becoming increasingly unstable so Ivan's father arranged money so Ivan could start a new life in a safe place for Yao.

In the meantime, Ivan began his new job on the Mountain Rescue team and he would be meeting his new team mates as he made his way to the Rescue station. When he walked in, he was greeted by a blonde man with eyes a similar colour to his own, with a funny hair strand that curled in the middle, dressed in some of his rescue gear.

"You must be Ivan Braginski," he greeted, holding out his hand for Ivan to shake which he did. "Hello, I'm Matthew Williams."

"Privet _(Hello),_ Matvey," Ivan replied with a smile. "I look forward to working with you, da? (_Yes?_)" Matthew smiled.

"Our other pilot, Aleksander, will be along soon," Matthew said. "He's just doing a check on the helicopter. We never know when we'll get an emergency call, eh?" Ivan nodded, approvingly.

"Da," he agreed. "It's good to be prepared! What kind of emergencies will we be facing?"

"We have the occasional avalanche," Matthew replied. "Mostly, we look for lost or stuck mountain-climbers or we airlift injured skiers to the nearest hospital. Fairly routine, just at unexpected times. Typical for emergencies." Ivan found that he liked Matthew, he was friendly, if a little quiet. Clearly a local as he spoke the way everyone else did in Canada and Ivan believed he could have a good working relationship with the quiet man.

"So," Matthew continued. "From your accent, I take it your from Russia, eh?" Ivan smiled.

"Da," Ivan replied. "From Moscow." He did not want to go into too much detail so he did not mention that he arrived in Canada via Alaska, nothing that could be passed on in casual conversation. It was not that Ivan thought that Natalya would find him any time soon or that Matvey would do anything to harm someone he had just met, if he would want to harm anyone at all. It was just that the secrecy with which Ivan, Yao and his brother had left Russia, and then Alaska, was still too new for Ivan to completely let it go. Maybe, when he got to know Matvey better, he would trust the Canadian with his story.

There was a commotion as a black-haired man with green eyes in full-flight uniform came through the door, carrying a flight list. Matthew turned to the man.

"Ah, Aleks," he said. "This is our new co-pilot, Ivan Braginski. He's from Russia. Ivan, this is Aleksander Dragov. You two will flying the helicopter together and Ivan, you'll also be operating the winch. It'll be your job to lower me down to the people we have to rescue so my life will be in your hands."

"Do not worry, Matvey," Ivan reassured him, holding up his hands. "These are safe." Aleksander held out his hand to Ivan and he shook it.

"Welcome, Ivan," he greeted with a East European accent. "I'm from Bulgaria myself. How are you liking Canada so far?"

"I am liking it very much," Ivan replied. "The people have been friendly so far. My soul mate is liking it as well." Matthew smiled.

"You've found your soul mate!" he exclaimed. "Congratulations! I'm still looking for mine but Aleks has found his."

"My soul mate's from Romania," Aleks replied. "He's called Vladimir. Is your soul mate from Russia too?"

"Nyet _(No_)_,"_ Ivan replied. "Yao is Chinese. He and his younger brother were visiting Moscow when we met. Li Xiao lives with us as his brother is his legal guardian."

"We should all go to a movie some time," Aleks suggested. "Get to know each other." Ivan smiled, a little sadly.

"I will ask Yao but he might not wish to," he replied. "Yao is blind." The other two men looked at each other awkwardly.

"Then perhaps we could all have dinner together one night," Matthew covered the awkward moment. He had been going to apologise but he was afraid that it might be taken for pity. "We could talk and get to know each other that way and there'll no distractions."

"Da," Ivan said. "That sounds like a good idea." Aleks clapped his hands.

"That's settled," he stated. "Now why don't we sit down and have a hot drink until a rescue call comes in. I know Matthew has some pancakes, he always has pancakes."

* * *

Apart from a skier who had broken his leg, there were no major catastrophes during his shift and Ivan spent time bonding with his new work colleagues while checking over the emergency equipment, returning home after a good day, although he could be called back in, should an emergency occur. Li Xiao had returned home from the school that Ivan and Yao had found for him and was doing his homework. Yao was cooking dinner on the stove that had been especially labelled in Braille so he knew which knobs operated which hob and the food had been put in specially labelled containers so Yao knew what he was putting in his wok. It amazed Ivan to discover that Yao could cook, although he worried that he might hurt himself but he hurt himself no more that a sighted person would, with the odd burn or scald and his food was always delicious.

"I'm home!" Ivan called out and Yao turned down the heat and came toward Ivan's voice. Everything was kept in the same place and Yao could move around the apartment as well as Ivan and Li Xiao.

"How was the first day at work, aru?" he asked. Ivan put his hands on Yao's shoulders and kissed him gently on the forehead.

"Very good," he replied. "I have two good work colleagues, Matvey and Aleks. They are very friendly and want for us to go to dinner so we can get to know each other better."

"That is hospitable of them," Yao commented. He would like to get about a little more but he was worried. "But should we, aru? If we reveal too much and Natalya comes looking …..."

"Natalya know nothing of Matvey and Aleks," Ivan replied. "And it is doubtful that she will find us any time soon. We just need to be careful and not reveal too much so it should be safe enough. You should not be stuck in this apartment all the time." Yao rested his head on Ivan's chest and sighed.

"I wished we did not have to live like this," he said. "Having to be careful all the time and looking over our shoulders, aru."

"It will not be forever, Podsolnukh," he promised, raising Yao's chin and kissing him, gently.

"Eww!" Li Xiao grimaced as he came to get a drink. "Like, get a room, you two!" Ivan looked toward him.

"You will feel differently when you find your soul mate, Mladshiy brat (_Little Brother_)," he said, indulgently. "And how was your day?"

"My art teacher wants to, like, talk to you about some of my drawings," Li Xiao replied. "And the Headmaster wants to, like, talk to you about an incident in the boy's rest-room." Yao gave an exasperated sigh.

"Did the incident in the rest-room involve fire-crackers, aru?" he said with a long suffering tone. Li Xiao shrugged.

"Maybe."

"And I can only guess at the drawings," Yao continued. "There was trouble at your last school about that. You only got away with that because I couldn't see them, aru."

"Sometimes being blind has, like, its advantages."

"Not this time, brat," Ivan replied (and he did not mean brother this time). "This time, I will see your little masterpieces that cause so much controversy. What can I expect to see, Podsolnukh?"

"From what I was told, last time," Yao replied. "His artwork was of rather an explicit nature, aru." Ivan chuckled.

"Is that what I can expected to see?" he asked Li Xiao who shrugged again.

"Maybe." Yao sighed and prepared himself for an ordeal when he went to Li Xiao's school.

"Go do your homework, aru!" he ordered. Li Xiao went to get his drink and went back to his homework.

"What will I do with him, aru?" Yao lamented. Ivan chuckled again and put his arms around his soul mate, hugging him tight.

"He is a teenager," he replied. "At least he can't get involved in real trouble out here. He's not a bad boy, just spirited."

"Some punishment is still in order for the fire-crackers, aru."

"Da," Ivan agreed. "But let us wait until we know exactly what we are punishing him for, da?"

"Shi (_Yes_)," Yao agreed. "I better go finish dinner." And Yao went back into the kitchen while Ivan settled down in front of his laptop to peruse properties online to find them all a permanent home.

* * *

Natalya was frustrated. Ivan seemed to have disappeared off the face of the Earth and, other than Ivan had left Russia for Alaska, she had been unable to find out anything about where he was or why he had left. It could not be because of her, like her father said. They were destined to be together, Ivan would not run from his destiny. Why had her brother gone?

She knew she was being followed. Whoever it was, they were good, she never got a good look at them but she knew they were there and knew they were probably working for her father. No one disobeyed General Winter when he gave an order. Even her own family were standing in the way of what should happen but it mattered little. She would find Ivan and then they would be together, beating hearts be damned!

Her shadow had gone. After all, she was at home in her father's house now but if she were to leave, she knew her father would alert her unwanted bodyguard who would stalk her until she returned home again and all she could do without scrutiny was stare out of her bedroom window which was what she was doing when a car pulled up.

Two people got out and Natalya recognised her older half-sister, Katyusha and her husband, Eduard Von Block as they walked up to the door. That was strange! Katyusha and Eduard lived in Estonia, why would they be here? The answer was obvious! Father had called them for some purpose and she would find out what it was.

She crept through the house as her sister and brother-in-law were taken to the General, keeping out of sight. When the corridor was empty, she crept up to the door and put her ear against it.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Katyusha," she heard her father say. "You too, Eduard. I know you didn't have to but I appreciate your help."

"Ivan's my brother," Katyusha replied. "I will help if I can." Dmitri Arlovsky sighed.

"Natalya is getting increasingly worse in her obsession," he admitted. "Sergei has reported that she's made inquiries about Ivan's whereabouts. She knows that he left the country for Alaska but, fortunately, he doesn't think she's learnt anything else."

"So she doesn't know about Yao?" Natalya heard Eduard ask. Yao? Who was Yao?

"No, thank goodness," her father said. "If she knew that Ivan left to protect his soul mate, her insanity would know no bounds!" Natalya went rigid. Soul mate! _Ivan has found his soul mate!_ How dare he! She had warned him not to find his soul mate, warned him what would happen. _How could he!_ She would find him! Find him and eliminate this soul mate, nothing would interfere with their destiny! Nothing!

But first she had to find him so she continued to listen, hoping for a clue.

"If she knows he's in Alaska," Eduard said. "We have to make sure she can't leave the country, for Ivan and Yao's sake, to say nothing of young Li Xiao. If Natalya's as far gone as you say, she wouldn't hesitate to use the teenager to get to Ivan and Yao." Natalya stored that little titbit of knowledge away for later use.

"Ivan and his soul mate are no longer in Alaska," Dmitri replied. "You think I wouldn't keep tabs on my son? Ivan is in Canada, using his flight training to work with a mountain rescue team. But, all the same, I don't want Natalya leaving the country, just in case. Katyusha, I want you to keep your sister distracted. I'll still have Sergei follow Natalya but I want you to stay by her as much as you can." Katyusha nodded. "Eduard, if you could, would you keep tabs on her online activity? I know your skill with computers so you can see if she gets close to finding Ivan."

"Of course," Eduard replied but Natalya just smiled. She knew their plans now and, more importantly, she now knew where Ivan was. She just had to get away from her gaolers, as she saw them, and find a way to get to Canada to find Ivan.

And then she would deal with his soul mate.

**Oh no! Maybe home was not the best place for that meeting, now Natalya knows everything, just as Ivan and Yao are getting settled in Canada. And Li Xiao already in trouble! Firecrackers, of course. In the manga, Kong Hong promised China he would not draw any more explicit pictures. Looks like he broke that promise ;P**

**To Normandy**** – Japan and I have no secrets from each other ;) I see Russia as lonely and misunderstood and will go to great lengths to acquire friends :) Sometimes those lengths frighten people D: But he's not a really bad guy, I agree, Although we might see some of Ivan's dark side when Natalya turns up as we know she's going to. DX**

**Thanks to some advice from ArtemisIsis13 on Russian names, Ivan's former name of Arlovshaya is now Arlovsky. Thank you, ArtemisIsis13 :D**

**Now till next time,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	19. Rescue Me : A Normal Life

**This story has hit 14100 views and 156 reviews! Everyone who has read, followed, favourited and reviewed officially rocks! You guys are the best, especially RoseBadWolf1000 (Bluebellerin on Deviantart) for doing the picture for this story which is now the cover picture. Thank you and, as a reward, here's the next chapter, Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 3 : A Normal Life**_

The incident in the boys rest-room had resulted in a fractured toilet bowl, a flooded floor and a very annoyed Headmaster. It resulted in a month's detention and Ivan and Yao would be getting the bill for the repairs which would be putting a dent in Li Xiao's allowance for some time to come. In addition, Li Xiao had to mop up and clean the rest-room. The punishment at home was Li Xiao's chores would included cleaning the bathroom every day to make sure he thought twice before igniting fireworks in another rest-room. To say nothing of being grounded.

It was decided that Ivan would deal with the art problem and that was a little less straight forward. Some of Li Xiao's art was commended but it was Fan-art, involving various well-known anime characters in various states of undress, sometimes with other characters, also in various states of undress and in certain poses that the teacher seemed concerned about but, while risqué, they were not that lurid. The figures were not completely undressed and it was good Fan-art! It might not be appropriate for Art Class but how do you punish someone for their art-work and then compliment said art-work but Ivan saw a way through as he saw paintings from older students.

"Excuse me!" he interrupted the art teacher in mid-discussion of Li Xiao's choice of art. "You agree that Li Xiao's art skills are excellent..."

"Oh indeed!" Mr Alland concurred. "His drawing techniques are above par but the content …..."

"But what is the difference between the content of Li Xiao's work and these?" Ivan indicated the drawings full of naked human forms that adorned the walls. Mr Alland looked at the paintings and could not see what Ivan meant. Sat beside Ivan, Li Xiao had to hide his smile as he realised that his brother's soul mate was fighting in his corner.

"These are Life drawings, Mr Braginski," Mr Alland explained. "An artistic study of the human form. This is simply an artistic medium."

"Fan-art could be argued to be a artistic medium," Ivan smiled, picking up one of Li Xiao's pictures which figured a character with undone clothing but not so open that anything was actually shown, it was more suggestive than anything else. "And the content is not as revealing and Li Xiao was not in the same room as a naked human being when he drew this. When I was told about Li Xiao's pictures being explicit I was expecting something …. explicit!" Mr Alland began to hum and haw as he searched for an argument.

"I'm not sure you could call Fan-art actual artwork," Mr Alland said. Li Xiao looked affront at such sacrilege while Ivan looked at the picture again.

"Why not," he asked. "This has creativity and imagination! Why is it not art?"

"Because," Mr Alland's argument was beginning to stall. "Because …... because this is a character that already exists. It could misconstrued as plagiarism." Ivan could see a picture on the wall behind the teacher that someone had drawn of Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Ivan pointed to it.

"Is that not a picture of a character that already exists?" he asked. "Could that not be misconstrued as plagiarism?" Ivan gave a child-like smile that made Mr Alland nervous and he began stammering, trying and failing to dispel the parallel.

"Many teenagers draw Fan-art," Ivan said. "They do not seek to lay claim to the characters they draw but to pay tribute to the characters they admire and their creators." He stood up, indicating that Li Xiao stand up with him. "Should Li Xiao draw characters having sex for his school work, by all means, let me know! In the meantime, I will not stifle my Mladshiy brat's creativity. Shall we go, Li Xiao?" Li Xiao gave a grin and they left the classroom, leaving behind a teacher, still trying to figure out how he got blind-sided.

"That was, like, so cool!" Li Xiao said, as they left the school. "Mr Alland doesn't like anime, that's, like, the real reason he called you in. He, like, wanted you to stop me doing anime artwork for school."

"I will not stop you from drawing anime," Ivan replied. "Perhaps you should save the more suggestive work for the internet but don't let someone so narrow stifle your imagination."

"Cool!" Li Xiao said. "If I'm, like, working on my school artwork, can I, like, be let off bathroom cleaning chores?"

"Nyet!"

"That, like, sucks!"

* * *

Yao was running his fingers across the Braille book he was reading while he waited for Ivan and Li Xiao to return from seeing Li Xiao's art teacher and he turned his head when he heard the door open.

"We're back, Podsolnukh!" he heard Ivan call and he heard Li Xiao's footsteps running up the stairs to his room. He could always tell the difference between Ivan's footsteps and Li Xiao's. Li Xiao's footsteps were light and quick, even when walking where Ivan's were the footsteps of a much heavier person but he was not heavy footed or clumpy, although his footsteps got heavier when running. Right now, the footsteps were light as Yao heard Ivan walk into the sitting room where Yao was reading as Ivan walked into the room. The lightness of Ivan's step also told Yao that Ivan was in a good mood so the meeting must have gone well.

"How was the meeting with Mr Alland, aru?" he asked. Ivan kissed Yao on the forehead.

"Li Xiao's paintings were not as bad as he was saying," Ivan replied. "Pictures of anime characters with loose and open clothing but nothing pornographic. Li Xiao told me Mr Alland simply does not like the more modern forms of art such as manga and anime and, after meeting the man, I am inclined to agree. Such a narrow-viewed person should not be moulding young artistic minds if the only place he can see art is in landscapes and portraits, although he sees nothing wrong with students painting people naked if it is 'Life Art'. The problem with Li Xiao's art is more with the teacher than Li Xiao, although I have suggested that he keeps his more ...risqué work …..for people who can appreciate it. There is no reason to punish Li Xiao for a petty-minded individual's opinion."

"His artwork really isn't so bad then, aru?" Yao said.

"His art skill are actually very good," Ivan told him. "Even Mr Alland acknowledges this, his objection is that Li Xiao's style is not one he accepts as art. Like I said, the problem is with him, not Li Xiao."

"Okay," Yao replied. "But punishment for the bathroom stunt stands, aru?"

"Da," Ivan agreed. "And I believe I have found a house for us. It has one floor so no stairs and three bedrooms. One for us, one for Li Xiao and a spare room, should we have a guest to stay and there is a garden so there will be space for Li Xiao and maybe a pet. It is five minutes drive from the Rescue Station and close to Li Xiao's school so it would be perfect. Shall I request a viewing to see if it is a good as it seems?"

"Shi _(yes_)_,"_ Yao agreed. "We need a permanent home, for Li Xiao if for no other reason, aru."

"Khorosho (_Good_)," Ivan concurred and gave Yao a kiss. "I will contact the real-estate agent and arrange the viewing. Have you remember that we are going to dinner with Matvey and Aleks tomorrow night?"

"Shi," Yao looked a little apprehensive. "Do you think it will be all right?"

"Da," Ivan replied. "Matvey and Aleks know about your blindness and they are good people. They are eager to meet you and Li Xiao. I think, in time, we might tell them the truth about why we came here. Maybe when we are finally settled, da?"

Yao would love not to hide their life from others but he had yet to meet Matthew Williams and Aleksander Dragov so he would reserve judgement until he knew them better.

"Maybe," he replied, non-committally. He worried about both revealing their secret and placing their new friends in danger, should Natalya come looking for Ivan.

Yao had learn much about his soul mate's life since meeting him. He got the impression that Ivan was intimidating to most people but that it made Ivan feel isolated from others and, therefore, lonely. It sounded like his father loved him but he was not very demonstrative with his fatherly affection, his sister, Katyusha gave Ivan the open affection that he craved but she left when she married her soul mate, leaving Ivan with the only other affectionate member of his family. Too affectionate!

Ivan explained how they were always together when they were children and even then, Natalya was showing signs of possessiveness, resenting it whenever Katyusha and Ivan spent time together. When she hit puberty, she became a nightmare and her relentless pursuit of Ivan began. At first Ivan thought she was just clingy and needed his big brother but then things began happening. Anyone who saw past the intimidating façade and approached him with signs of friendship began to mysteriously get hurt and one girl ended up in hospital when a large stone fell on her from the top of a building and she was lucky she was not killed. After connections were made, Ivan was considered a dangerous person to be around and all but family avoided him. It was a very lonely time for Ivan who began to think of himself as cursed until an incident happened that explained his bad luck.

Yao had not believed his ears when Ivan told him about when Natalya suddenly tried to force her attentions on him, kissing him passionately and he pushed her away in shock and some disgust.

"_What are you doing, Natalya?" Ivan demanded. "A sister does not kiss her brother that way!"_

"_Don't deny it, brother!" she replied, trying to kiss him again. "We are destined to be together. Marry me, brother and it will make our hearts beat! Marry me, marry me, marry me ….."_

"_You are insane!" Ivan exclaimed and he pushed her away again. "How can you believe that is normal? Our hearts will never beat because siblings are never soul mates and I will never love you that way!"_

"_Who will love you that way, brother?" Natalya demanded. "That little hussy who thought to steal your affection from me. She couldn't tempt you from her hospital bed, could she!"_

"_It was you!" Ivan stared at Natalya in shock. "You dropped that rock on Saskia! You almost killed her and all she wanted to be was my friend. How could you do such a thing?"_

"_She didn't want to just be your friend," Natalya hissed. "None of them wanted to just be your friend. They wanted you for themselves and take you from me but I wasn't going to allow it!" Ivan realised just what had been befalling his friends._

"_Everyone who wanted to be my friend!" he breathed. "Everyone who was hurt! That was you!" He backed away from her and she tried to follow him._

"_STAY AWAY FROM ME!" he shouted and ran from her._

_Ivan spoke to his father about Natalya, about her inappropriate feelings for him and her actions against his would-have-been friends, almost ending in an innocent girl's death and Dmitri agreed that Natalya was disturbed and needed help but her obsession just got worse, finally leading to Ivan taking his soul mate and running to Canada._

Yao thought about how hard it must have been for Ivan to have a family member that was that insane. His family could be crazy but it was that eccentric crazy, like Li Xiao's creative use of fireworks or Im Yong Soo's tenancy to claim to have invented things and suddenly saying Da-ze! Natalya's brand of crazy was something Yao could not get his head around but one thing was clear. Natalya mental state had a negative affect on all around her, after all it was because of her that they were far from their former lives now and he was unable to experience the joy of having found his soul mate because it placed them all in extreme danger.

He prayed she never found them.

* * *

Matthew sat with Aleks and his soul mate, Vladimir, a strawberry-blonde man who's unusual eyes looked more red than brown, with a dental condition that made him look like he had fangs and Aleks would often joke about him being 'His Little Vampire'. They were just waiting for Ivan and his little family to arrive and Matthew looked forward to learning more about them. Ivan was friendly enough but he never spoke much about his life before coming to Canada and he hoped Yao would talk more about themselves and that maybe Ivan might open up because he could not help but feel that maybe the reason why Ivan never talked about his past was because he had left his home country for a reason. Something he did not want them to know but Matthew just hoped he was being paranoid.

His thoughts were interrupted as Ivan came into the restaurant, accompanied by a Chinese man and a teenager. Matthew waved to them and Ivan smiled at the group as he held Yao's arm and lead him and Li Xiao over to the table.

"Hello, Ivan," Matthew greeted when he reached them. "Did you have any trouble finding the restaurant?"

"Nyet," Ivan replied, pulling out a chair for Yao while Li Xiao took the next one and Yao sat down, followed by Ivan. "This is my soul mate, Yao Wang and his younger brother Li Xiao. Yao, Li Xiao, this is Matthew Williams and Aleksander Dragov."

"Hello, Yao, Li Xiao," Matthew replied.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Aleks said. "This is my soul mate, Vladimir Lupei." Vladimir smiled at them exposing his teeth.

"Nice to meet you," he said.

"Are you, like, a vampire?" Li Xiao asked.

"Li Xiao!" Yao snapped. "Mind your manners! You're in enough trouble! Please accept my apologises for my brother's rudeness. He'll stop now if he doesn't want to be grounded more than he has been, aru."

"Oh dear!" Aleks chuckled, looking at Li Xiao. "What have you done?"

"He blew up the school rest-room," Ivan replied, like he was saying Li Xiao had skipped school. "He likes fireworks." Li Xiao sulked.

"I, like, blew up one toilet," he muttered. "Don't exaggerate!"

"Would you like to see the menus, sirs," the waiter asked as he came up to the table and everybody took one to choose their meals while the waiter took their drinks order. LI Xiao tried to ask for a beer but was firmly told he could have soda instead.

"So Ivan," Aleks ploughed right in. "What made you leave Russia?"

"Family issues," he replied. "My family has always had difficulties and, when I met Yao, it made impossible to stay. Life would have been …. too difficult." Matthew felt that Ivan was being honest but that he was not tell them everything.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he answered. "Finding your soul mate should be a happy moment. How did you and Yao meet?"

"We met in a store, shopping," Yao replied. "Li Xiao and I were taking a trip around Russia and were spending time in Moscow. We needed groceries so we went to a nearby store and Ivan and I, quite literally, bumped into each other, aru."

"Yeah," Li Xiao agreed. "He, like, knocked you on your ass."

"An accident, as well you know, Mladshiy brat," Ivan defended himself.

"What does Mladshiy brat mean?" Vladimir asked.

"It's Russian," Ivan replied. "It means 'Little Brother'. That's what Li Xiao became when Yao started my heart beating. I always wanted a brother and I will look after him as one." Li Xiao muttered something about not needing a baby sitter.

"Any sisters?" Matthew asked. He noticed that Ivan, Yao and Li Xiao suddenly stiffened at the question and wondered at the reason.

"My older sister, Katyusha, is soul mate and married to an Estonian," Ivan replied. "Her husband is a good man and she is very happy." Once again, Matthew got that feeling that Ivan was holding back but if it was about family, Matthew did not think he should pry. Ivan would tell them in time if he was going to.

"So," Ivan turned to Aleks and Vlad. "How did you two meet?"

"We met when we were learning to fly," Vlad replied. "As it turned out, I wasn't suited to flying. I got airsick, even as the pilot so I dropped out but by that time, Aleks and I discovered we were soul mates which I wouldn't have done if I hadn't tried so I guess everything happens for a reason." Yao smiled.

"There's no such thing as a coincidence, aru," he said. Then the waiter returned and they gave their orders.

"So how's your house-hunting going?" Matthew asked when the waiter had left.

"We believe we may have found somewhere," Ivan replied. "We'll be going to a viewing soon so we will see. If it is suitable, we will be only five minutes drive from the Rescue Station."

"That will be convenient for you," Aleks commented.

"Da," Ivan replied. "It is closer to Li Xiao's school too." A sarcastic 'yay' came from from the direction of the teenager.

"How has life been for you since coming to Canada, Yao?" Vladimir asked.

"Good," Yao replied. "Although I haven't been out and about much since getting here. With Ivan working and Li Xiao in school, opportunities to get to used to the area are rare. aru."

"I would very much like Yao to be able to get out more," Ivan said. "But I must work and Li Xiao must study. I take Yao about when I can but ….."

"I could visit Yao while you work," Vlad offered. "I haven't much to do during the day once everything's done and we can go about and Yao can get used to the local area if that's all right with you." Ivan was happy with the invitation but it was not his decision.

"That is for Yao to decide," he replied. "What do you say, Yao?" Yao considered the invitation. He would like to get to know his new home better and Vladimir sounded like a genuine person, he just worried that he might let something slip in an unguarded moment. But the idea of freedom from being stuck in the house was too tempting.

"I would like that, aru," he smiled and Vlad smiled too.

"Great!" he replied. "While these three are at work tomorrow and Li Xiao is at school, I'll take you around the town and we can go to this little coffee shop I know on the main street. We can keep each other company while this lot are off playing at being heroes."

Everyone laughed and then their meals began to arrive. Ivan was happy with how well this had gone, with Yao having a potential friend to keep him company and the others including him and Li Xiao in their little circle. He finally felt that things were settling into normalcy.

* * *

Natalya had her plan. She had begun to take flying lessons, just as Ivan had done and then she would get training with helicopter piloting which would be useful when she finally found Ivan but first she had to find him and Canada was a big country, second only to Russia itself and there were many, many mountain rescue teams and there was the added problem of Eduard monitoring her online activity, making it harder to search. She had to get another online access point and cover her tracks. She did not want to raise any red flags that Eduard could detect and report to her father and once she actually found Ivan, of course, there was the problem of leaving Russia but she had a plan for that too. As long as her father did not realise that the passport he had confiscated was a fake.

Nothing would get between her and her beloved Big Brother!

**This story seems like filler but I wanted Ivan and Yao settle into normal living but you can bet it's the calm before the storm because Natalya won't give up, that you can bet. Mr Alland is not based on anyone, just a A-hole who doesn't like anime (How very dare he!).**

**To Normandy**** – I don't think we want Natalya getting another obsession, one's quite enough! D: Was Chibi-Russia as cute as he seemed? :3 And I didn't know any of that, you learn something new every day! :) And Vanya has his sunflower now, as long as Natalya can't get to him! Pirate or Marauder, eh! You and England must really get along! ;P**

**And that's that for this week! The next chapter's not written yet but I got an idea of what I'm going to write and it will involve surprises and shocks!**

**So till next time,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	20. Rescue Me : Joy And Fear

**Time for the next chapter! I almost had to postpone this chapter but I managed to get it done for today. Here we go, enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 4 : Joy And Fear**_

Life was good for Ivan, Yao and Li Xiao. The house was perfect and Ivan put in an offer and snapped it up. Matthew, Aleks and Vlad helped them to move in and they finally had a permanent home. Yao spent his time with Vlad when Ivan was working and Li Xiao was at school and he met other people but Vlad became his best friend. Ivan and Yao decided not to tell their friends about Natalya and their reasons for coming to Canada as they felt it was unlikely that she would find them here and they just wanted to get on with their lives out of her shadow.

Three and a half years had passed and Ivan was finally happy with his life. He loved his job, finally had friends and he loved his soul mate. Having Li Xiao as a pseudo-little brother was an unexpected bonus. He was graduating from school and would be going to college next year. Yao and Ivan were so proud of Li Xiao and Ivan finally decided that it was time. He made an unexpected stop in town and booked a table at a restaurant for himself and Yao. Li Xiao would be out at a party being thrown by one of his friends so it would be just the two of them and Ivan had big plans.

Ivan and Yao were shown to their table and while Yao could get around by himself now, this was a new restaurant and he was not familiar with the layout so Ivan lead him and guided him into his seat. The waiter took their drinks order and left them alone.

"Is this for a special occasion that I have forgotten, aru?" Yao asked.

"Nyet," Ivan replied. "You have forgotten nothing, Podsolnukh. I thought it would be nice to have an evening to ourselves while Li Xiao is being entertained elsewhere." Yao could hear something in Ivan's voice, an undercurrent of nervousness or excitement. Excitement, Yao had heard in Ivan's voice before but nervousness was not something Yao associated with his soul mate unless Natalya was mentioned which was rarely. This seemed to be a mixture of both as if Ivan had something planned and was unsure of how it would turn out.

"Li Xiao doesn't mean to be underfoot, aru," Yao defended his little brother.

"And he is not," Ivan replied. "I am very fond of Li Xiao, you know this, but it's nice to have an evening alone. Truth is, I will miss Mladshiy Brat when he leaves for college and I'm sure you will too."

"Shi," Yao replied. "And I will worry about him but I must let him become his own person. I have been a burden on him for too long, aru." Ivan cocked his head.

"I do not think he see you as a burden," he said. Ivan knew that Li Xiao had been his older brother's help and support while dealing with his blindness and, sometimes, felt that Li Xiao was more Yao's guardian than the other way round. "You have been a good guardian to your brother, he just wanted to be there for you, like you were for him. It is the way of families." Then he gave that statement some thought. "Normal families," he added, thinking of Natalya.

"Shi," Yao replied. "But now, he should live his own life. "He is young and, I may be bias here, intelligent. Time to go out into the world and use that intelligence, aru."

"Da," Ivan agreed. "And he will! And we will be here when he comes home again, like a normal family." Yao smiled and then the waiter returned with their drinks and menus. There was not one in Braille so Ivan read the menu out to Yao and they selected their meals and the waiter went away again. They made small talk, Yao telling Ivan about his day with Vlad and Ivan talking about the trip to take an injured skier to the hospital and they chatted like this until their meals arrived.

While they were waiting for dessert, Yao could hear Ivan's fingers tapping, nervously on the table and wondered what was bothering him. This was not normal for Ivan and Yao had to know what was wrong.

"Ivan, is there a problem, aru?" he asked. Ivan looked up at Yao.

"Nyet," he denied. "Why would you think so?"

"Something in your voice." Yao replied. "And you've been tapping your fingers on the table for the last five minutes. There is something wrong, isn't there, aru!" Yao felt Ivan take his hand.

"Nyet, Podsolnukh," Ivan replied. "Nothing is wrong." Then he held Yao's hand in both of his.

"Yao," he said. "Podsolnukh. Soul mate. I love our life together but there is one thing left to make it perfect." One hand let go of Yao's and then Ivan pulled Yao's hand forward and placed it on Ivan's other hand and Yao felt something there. A box, small and felt like it was covered in velvet. Yao nervously picked it up and ran his fingers over it, feeling the hinge at the back and lifted the lid. He felt inside and his fingers made contact with something metallic in the shape of a small hoop and on the top was a lump of something smooth.

"The stone is Jade," Ivan said. "It has special significance in your culture, da?"

"Shi," Yao replied, breathlessly as he realised just why Ivan had been so nervous.

"It's an engagement ring," Ivan clarified. "Yao. Podsolnukh. Soul mate. Would you please do me the honour of marrying me?"

Yao could barely breath. He had not been expecting this but, on reflection, he should had realised that, perhaps he should have. After all, they were soul mates and marriage was the next logical step but he was completely taken by surprise. He supposed it was because he already felt married to Ivan. They lived in the same house, slept in the same bed, did everything married couples do but have the same name. And they loved each other.

The decision was easy.

Ivan waited, on edge, while Yao took a moment to get over the surprise. What would Yao do? Would he say yes? Would he say no? Ivan was tempted to bite his nails as he waited for Yao's answer.

"Ivan, Wǒ shǎle éguó xióng (_My silly Russian bear_)," Yao replied. "Of course I will, aru!" Ivan did not just smile at Yao's answer, he positively beamed and he leant over the table and kissed Yao. Then he took the ring out of the box and slid it on to Yao's finger. Yao took Ivan's arm, stood up and hugged his now Russian fiancé.

Ivan hugged Yao back and thanked the heavens for his happy life.

* * *

She had finally found him! After three years, Natalya finally knew where Ivan was. It had taken her three long years of sneaking around, searching on laptops and computers, other than her own, when she had the opportunity. She knew it would be a dead end but Natalya first searched under Arlovsky with no success, not that she expected any and then she tried various names but it was only when she came up empty that she tried something so obvious that she never really thought that Ivan would use it. Their mother's maiden name so Natalya tried Braginski.

There were a lot of rescue teams in Canada and looking through them all took time but finally she found a team that had a member called Ivan Braginski and she did not know whether her brother had been very stupid or very clever. But she knew Ivan was far from stupid and she had ignored the possibility of Ivan using such an obvious name so she went with clever.

No matter! She had his name now and where he was. All she had to do now was find away out of Russia without being stopped by her father and lose her unwanted chaperone.

And she already had a plan.

* * *

A small engagement party was held at the house for friends, neighbours and colleagues as everyone came to congratulate the happy couple. It was already decided that Li Xiao would be Best Man and Vlad would stand as support for Yao and Matthew and Aleks would be attendants. What ceremony would be used would be discussed at a later date but one thing was certain, they wanted their friends and family around them.

That would be easier for Yao than Ivan. There was no problem for Yao's family to come for the wedding but, as much as Ivan wanted Katyusha and his father there, it was too dangerous to send a message, should Natalya intercept it.

"So, finally taking the plunge," Aleks commented, sipping a beer. "About time!"

"You can talk," Matthew replied. "When are you going to ask Vlad, eh?" Ivan drank a mouthful from the glass of vodka he was holding.

"Da," Ivan agreed. "Your turn next, moy drug."

"Tell me about it!" Aleks declared. "Vlad's been giving me cow eyes ever since you proposed to Yao. Thanks for making my life harder, Ivan."

"My pleasure, moy drug," Ivan smirked. Suddenly, all their pagers went off and they looked at them as they all flashed emergency. Ivan and Aleks went to Yao and Vlad.

"I'm sorry, Podsolnukh," Ivan apologised to his fiancé. "There's an emergency, I must go. I'll be back as soon as I can." He gave Yao a kiss while Aleks gave similar apologies to Vlad before the two of them, along with Matthew, headed out of the door.

"The burdens of being a soul mate to a mountain rescuer, I'm afraid, Yao," Vlad commented. Yao just smiled.

"I can live with it, aru!"

* * *

Sergei Mikhaylov tailed Natalya, keeping his purple eyed gaze on her as she walked through the local shopping mall, mostly looking through windows at the merchandise on sale, seemingly innocuous but Sergei knew better than to be fooled by that. He had been made well aware of Natalya's unstable nature, especially where her older brother was concerned. She had been making searches on her laptop for Ivan's whereabouts but she had not seemed to get any where, which was a relief for her father.

Sergei had never been close enough to see into Natalya's eyes but he prayed she was not his soul mate. Oh, she was pretty enough but boy, was she nuts!

Natalya had finally seen her father-approved stalker at a distance, a man in his twenties with black hair but she was too far away to see his eyes but he was definitely following her, no matter how much he tried to look like just another shopper in the mall and that was the one she had to shake off. She just had to pick her moment.

Sergei watched as Natalya followed a woman with a hooded coat into the ladies rest-room, the one place he could not go and he found himself a spot where he could keep a eye on the door without attracting undue attention.

* * *

The woman in the hooded coat was nearly finished with her shopping but she had to visit the rest-room and she was aware of the silvery blonde hair girl that had followed her in. She went into a cubicle and heard the girl do the same and, after she answered Nature's Call, she went to wash her hands and as she dried them, she heard the other cubicle door opened. Then she felt a blow to the back of her head and everything went black.

* * *

Sergei was getting nervous. Natalya had been in the rest-room for a while, much longer than he thought she would and then the door opened. The woman in the hooded coat came out, looking down as she fastened her coat while she walked away. Sergei waited a little while longer before he became suspicious and he went over to the rest-room and opened the door.

An unfamiliar woman was unconscious on the floor, stripped down to her underwear and Sergei cursed. The woman in the coat had to be Natalya so she knew he had been following her and he had to admit she had been clever. General Arlovsky was not going to like this!

Sergei called over a mall guard to report the woman's attack to get her help and he took out his phone to give General Winter the bad news.

* * *

"What news do we have?" Dmitri demanded to Sergei who had returned from the airport. General Arlovsky had checked Natalya's confiscated passport and realised that it was not the real one and had immediately tried to put the airport on alert to watch out for her, only to be told that she had already boarded a plane.

"It seems she boarded a plane to Oslo, Norway," Sergei replied. "I'm not sure why she went there."

"I might know," Eduard replied. "Natalya's online activity suggests that she found someone there that might be her brother. Someone called Ivan Antonov who sounds similar to Ivan. Of course we know that it's not him but …."

"Once she realises that," Dmitri finished. "She'll look again and this time she might find where he really is." He turned to Sergei. "I want you to go to Oslo, find her and bring her back. I want her where I can see her. See to it!" Sergei resigned himself to his fate.

"Yes sir!" he sighed and left.

"Should we warn Ivan?" Eduard asked. Dmitri shook his head.

"She's not going to Canada," he replied. "If she was, I would but I see no point in disturbing Ivan or his soul mate so no! We'll leave them in peace."

* * *

No sooner had Natalya departed the plane in Oslo, she was at the desk, purchasing a ticket for the next plane to Canada. She knew her father would track her here and send someone after her but thanks to the fake trail she had left on her computer, whoever he sent would waste time looking for her and 'Ivan Antonov', a personality she had faked to buy her time to locate Ivan and deal with his 'soul mate'. This time nothing would stop her as she boarded the plane to Ontario and then on to where she would find her beloved brother.

"Soon, Ivan," she muttered as the plane climbed into the air and flew in the direction of Canada. "Soon I'll deal with your so-called soul mate and we will finally become one. I'm coming for you, brother!"

**They've underestimated Natalya, I think! Ivan and Yao are so happy completely unaware that danger's on its way. And you can bet that Natalya is going to get more crazy as she goes. Sergei is an OC country, I just haven't decided which one yet.**

**To Normandy – Awwh! I bet he treasures it :) It's nice you and Arthur can be friends after so much history XP Do Vash and Kiku fight over you like Greece and Turkey fight over Japan? ;P And I don't like Mr Whathisface either! DX**

**Strange things will start happening and people will get hurt and there's a nasty surprise for Ivan! Check out my new story Lost And Found! That one will be updated on Sunday! ;)**

**So till next week,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	21. Rescue Me : Danger!

**Here we go! That's all I'll say besides enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter Five : Danger!**_

The _whomp, whomp, whomp_ of the helicopter blades sounded over their heads as they flew over the landscape to their destination. Someone had taken a tumble in an inaccessible area so it was up to the rescue helicopter to get to them and take them to the nearest hospital. Matthew looked over the shoulders of both pilots as they whirled their way to the rescue.

"So, Ivan," he said, over the sound of the blades. "Have you and Yao set the date yet?"

"Nyet," Ivan replied. "But we are thinking before Li Xiao goes to college so he can be there and the rest of Yao's family can join us for the wedding."

"What about your family?" Aleksander asked while keeping his eye on where they were going. "You mentioned your father and an older sister, will they be coming?" Ivan just stared straight ahead.

"Nyet," he replied. "They won't be able to make it." It made Ivan a little sad that his older sister and even his father would not be able to be there at his wedding. Maybe, at some point, they would be able to have a second ceremony that his family could attend but something radical would have to happen where Natalya was concerned first.

Aleks gave a quick glance at Matthew. There was something going on with Ivan's family, they were both picking up on that. He rarely spoke of his family and he only ever mentioned his sister, Katyusha and, on occasion, his father. And, if they had not picked a date, how did Ivan know his family would not be able to come?

There was more to this than Ivan was letting on but it was clear that he was not going to divulge his family secrets any time soon and they did not feel they could confront him about it, assuming there was anything to confront. It could be that Ivan had had a painful falling out with his family, in which case, it was none of their business.

All talking stopped as they came into view of the accident scene and they concentrated on the task at hand.

* * *

Natalya sat in the nondescript car, watching the Rescue Station at a distance as the helicopter returned and landed. The blades slowed to a halt and the crew departed, giving the helicopter the once over while ground crew began to refuel it for the next emergency. Natalya's eyes immediately went to the tall figure of Ivan as he checked the tail rotor. She smiled after not seeing him for so long and soon they would become one. She just had to find out who this Yao was and deal with him.

She hung around until Ivan left and she followed his car as Ivan drove home, unaware that his stalker sister was on his tail. She followed him for five minutes before he pulled into the drive of a one-level house and she waited for him to go in before she got out of her car and made her way to the window and peered inside. She could see a Chinese man sat in a chair, seemingly reading a book without looking at it, running his fingers across the pages and then it clicked. He was reading Braille! The man was blind!

Ivan came into the room and the Chinese man's head turned in Ivan's direction. Ivan went up to the man and lightly kissed him in greet and Natalya realised that this was Yao and she growled her jealously of his affection for the man she considered to be hers. How dare that …. that ….. _blind_ _man_ think he could take Ivan from her! She would make him pay! Ivan was hers!

Then she heard footsteps coming toward the house and hid. Another Chinese person came into view, a teenager this time and he went through the front door calling, "I'm, like, home!"

'_That must be Li Xiao_,' Natalya thought. _'He could be useful to deal with Ivan's soul mate. I'll keep an eye on him. In the meantime, I better deal with that little matter!'_ With one last look at the house, she went back to her car and then to her motel to make plans.

* * *

Sergei had a monumental task ahead of him. Natalya had arrived but she would not be easy to find so he began looking for this Ivan Antonov, knowing that she would turn up around him sooner or later but Natalya had tried to wipe her search history. Eduard had managed to recover some but not all and Ivan Antonov's address was missing so Sergei had to find him but Norway had a lot of people to search through.

This was going to take time.

* * *

Yao may have been blind but he had something of a sixth sense about some things and, right now, he could sense that he was being watched and had sensed it for the past few weeks. It happened a lot when he first went to Alaska and then in Canada as he dressed in traditional Chinese attire which was eye-catching to others in a different country but, once the novelty wore off and people became used to it, the sensation of being stared at disappeared. This was not disappearing and Yao could feel someone's undivided attention aimed at him.

"Is someone staring at us, aru?" he asked Vladimir as they sat in their usual coffee shop. Vlad look around at the other customers in the shop but no one seemed to be staring them or even looking quickly away when he looked their way. Everyone else seemed to be involved in their own business and paying no attention to the Chinese man and the Romanian. A movement caught his eye and he looked toward the window but there was no one there looking in. just people walking past, going along their way.

"I can't see anyone," he replied. "Why?"

"I'm not sure," Yao said. "I just get the feeling that someone's watching me, aru." Vlad frowned.

"Why would someone bother doing that, Yao?" he asked. "You don't have an enemy in the world." Yao became silent and Vlad frowned again, wondering whether he was wrong about that. They knew next to nothing about Ivan, Yao and Li Xiao before they came to Canada but a family issue had been mentioned. Vlad wondered if it was something to do with that.

"Can we leave, aru?" Yao asked. He did not look at all comfortable so Vlad stood.

"Okay," he said and Yao stood and he and Vlad left the coffee shop.

* * *

Natalya peered at the two men through the window of the coffee shop, her gaze firmly on her rival. She had been watching him for some time now while she waited for her work visa to be approved but she did not anticipate any problems with that. She was a fully-qualified pilot of both planes and helicopters and, in a country as vast as Canada, piloting skills would be welcome.

When she first saw Yao with Vlad, she wondered if the Chinese man was cheating on her brother which made her seethe with anger at the idea that anyone would do that to Ivan but, even to her unstable gaze, it was obvious that the two were never more than just friends which was a pity. She might have been able to use that against Yao. She even saw Yao and Ivan together, sometimes with Li Xiao and it sickened her how loving they were with each other. Ivan was hers and she would make sure that both Yao and Ivan knew it.

She saw Yao ask Vlad something and Vlad looked up and gaze around the shop and she hid, not wanting him to see her staring and tell Yao whom she had no doubt had been told what she looked like and would tell Ivan. She was not ready to reveal herself just yet.

The two men got up from their chairs and Natalya ran for her car, staring at them from the driver's seat,e specially at Yao. She could see nothing special about him that she could not surpass (in her own mind) and she grew angry at Yao for stealing Ivan from her, angry at Ivan for allowing himself to be stolen and angry at fate for trying to pull Ivan and her apart but her particular hatred settled on Yao. If he was out of the picture …...

She saw Vlad put his hand on Yao's arm as they walked to the crossing on the corner and waited for the walk sign to light up and she started the car as the sign went to walk and pulled out. When they were part way across, she stepped on the accelerator and shot toward them.

* * *

Vlad heard a car start up and never thought anything of it as he and Yao began to cross the road, then he heard the car accelerate and turned to look down the road. His eyes widen as he saw a grey car coming right at them at high speed and he grabbed Yao and ran with him to escape the oncoming car.

Yao had heard the car then heard it speed up. The next thing he knew, he was seized, he guessed by Vlad, and rushed forward and then he was falling to the ground. He felt himself landed on someone but then his forehead hit something hard and then he knew nothing.

Vlad dove to get them both out of the path of the car, turning as they fell, trying to put himself in between Yao and the asphalt. The car missed them by inches and shot away while people, who were not in shock, came running to their aid.

"Are you all right, Yao?" he asked, sitting up. Yao did not answer and Vlad turned to his friend and found him unconscious. He pulled on Yao's shoulder, rolling him onto his back and found that he had not completely protected Yao. Yao's head had hit the road and blood was streaming from the head wound.

"YAO!" he yelled and turned to the crowd who had come to assist them. "Can somebody call an ambulance, please?" Someone took out their phone while Vlad tried to assist his friend, ignoring the mutterings going on around him.

_We should call the police too. That was practically a hit-and-run!_

_That was no hit-and-run! The car drove straight at them!_

_What! You mean it was attempted murder!_

The ambulance arrived within minutes and, after a quick examination, they took Yao to the hospital along with Vlad and, on the way, Vlad called Ivan.

* * *

Ivan was at the hospital in no time, along with Aleks and Matthew after getting another crew to cover them (they could not go out with only one pilot and no winch man), his heart was pounding at the thought of his soul mate being injured. All Vlad could tell him was there was an accident and Yao had been hurt and he raced to the hospital, to find Vlad in the A &amp; E waiting room while the medical staff were seeing to Yao. He was sipping coffee as he waited for them.

"Vladimir!" Ivan called out and Vlad turned to look at Ivan and came toward him.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"A car almost hit us," Vlad replied. "I managed to pull Yao out of its path but he hit his head when we fell. I didn't see the driver, they drove off. I'm sorry!" Ivan shook off the apology.

"Yao could have been killed if the car had hit him," he said. "I am grateful! How is Yao?"

"The doctor's still with him," Vlad said. "He was unconscious when we were brought in. The car just came right at us." Aleks went to his soul mate's side.

"Are you all right?" he asked, putting his arms around him. Vlad nodded.

"I'm fine," he replied. "Yao took the worst but I swear I tried to brace his fall!"

"Are you all with Yao Wang?"

A doctor, holding a clipboard, had come up to them while they talked and Ivan turned to him.

"I'm his soul mate, Ivan Braginski" he said. "How is he, doctor?"

"He's still unconscious," the doctor replied. "We don't think there's any severe brain damage but we're going to give him a scan, just to be sure. Concussion is possible but we'll keep an eye on that and we would like to keep him in to be safe. Is there anything in Yao's medical history we should know?"

"Da," Ivan replied. "Yao is blind as the result of an accident some years ago. He has some damage that blocks his sight. It is considered too dangerous to repair." The doctor made notes on the clipboard.

"Thank you," he said. "I will let you know when Yao is back from his scan and please! Try not to worry!" The doctor walked away and Vladimir shook his head.

"I still don't understand what happened," he admitted. "If I didn't know better, I could have swore that the car was deliberately driven at us. Yao even felt like someone was watching him!" Ivan gave him a look and pulled out his phone, walking away for some privacy while he made an urgent call, leaving his friends looking after him in confusion.

"What's going on?" Matthew mused.

* * *

Ivan found the number for his father's private phone and called it. After what Vladimir had said, he had to know if Natalya had found out where he was and left Russia for Canada. She was the only one who would mean Yao that kind of harm and if she hit Vlad as well, to her that would be collateral damage so he had to know, not only to protect Yao but to protect his other friends and Li Xiao as well.

Dmitri Arlovsky was surprised to see his son on his phone's caller-id. Ivan had not called in nearly four years, although Dmitri knew where Ivan was and was proud of the life his son had forged for himself and his little family. He even knew about Ivan's engagement to his soul mate and he wondered why his son had broken communication silence after so long. Whatever the reason, it had to be serious. He pressed to accept the call to hear what his son had to say.

"Privet, moy sin (_Hello, my son_)," he greeted.

"Privet, Otets (_Father_)," Ivan replied. It was good to hear his father's voice again after so long but Ivan had a very important question for him. "Father, is Natalya still in Moscow?" Okay! Not what Dmitri expect Ivan to say and he did not know whether he had good or bad news for him.

"Nyet," Ivan's beating heart almost stopped at his father's reply but he took a little comfort at his next words. "We believe that she is in Oslo. She thinks you're there under the name Ivan Antonov and I've sent one of my best people to retrieve her. Why?"

"Yao was almost hit by a car today," Ivan replied. "Thanks to a friend, the car missed but Yao was still injured. The driver was not caught and Vladimir said it looked like the car was driven at them so I thought ….."

"Yes, I can imagine," Dmitri interrupted. "Everything points to Natalya being in Norway but I will contact Sergei and see what progress he has made. Take care until I contact you again. Good luck, moy sin!"

"Thank you," Ivan replied. "I'm waiting for your call. Tell Katyusha I miss her. Proshchay! (_Goodbye!_)."

"Proshchay, Ivan!" Dmitri said and the call ended. Dmitri scrolled through his contacts, found Sergei's number and pressed call.

* * *

Ivan put his phone away and went back to wait with his friends for the doctor to tell him he could see Yao and found the other three men staring at him. They had watched him as he spoke on the phone and, while they did not hear what was said, they knew it had not been a social call.

"Is there something wrong, Ivan," Matthew asked. Ivan had to decide if he should tell them or not, if Natalya was in Norway. If she was then she had nothing to do with what happened to Yao so he decided to wait until he heard more from his father.

"Everything is fine," Ivan replied. "I was just telling my father what happened. He was … concerned." The other men just looked at each other.

"Ivan, if there is something wrong," Aleks said. "You can tell us. We'll do what we can to help, you know." Ivan gave a small smile. This is what he had always wanted. Friends who would want to help him when he was in need and, if he needed help, he would ask.

"Of course," he replied. "And I will ask if I need help, I promise!" But the others were not ignorant of the fact that Ivan had dodged the question and there was no opportunity to call him on it as the doctor returned to tell Ivan that Yao was back and he could see him.

* * *

Natalya cursed her temper! When she saw Yao and the other one crossing the road, all she could think of was one fast drive and the one who was stealing her brother from her would be gone. Yes, she might have hit the innocent one as well but it was a small price to pay for her date with destiny. But now that she thought about it, she thought it was a stupid move. It might alert Ivan to her presence and she did not want him to know she was here just yet but, if Ivan contacted their father, he would learn that she was in Norway. As long as no one realised that she just used Oslo as a way to get to Canada.

The car would have to go! They would be looking for it as a near hit-and-run vehicle so she drove it out of town to a secluded area. She took a gas can out of the trunk and began throwing the contents over the car and inside it. When the can was empty, she threw the can into the car, stepped away and struck a match. She threw the match on to the car and the gasoline ignited, engulfing the car in fire and she walked away from the inferno.

When she was half a mile away, the car exploded.

* * *

Yao woke up the next day. He was disorientated at first as nothing was familiar and the headache did not help. Sounds, smells, even what he was lying on felt strange but there was one thing that was familiar. The feel of Ivan's hand in his and it stopped him from panicking and he squeezed Ivan's hand.

"Podsolnukh," he heard Ivan's voice say and felt Ivan's lips press against his forehead. "How are you feeling?" Yao groaned.

"My head hurts," he moaned. "And my throat is dry." Yao felt Ivan let go of his hand and then he heard the sound of running water. The sound stopped and Ivan took his hand and put a glass into it. Ivan continued to support Yao's hand as he brought it to his lips and tasted the sweet, thirst-banishing water and savoured it as it eased his dry throat.

"What happened?" Yao asked. He had realised that he was in a hospital which he was familiar with from when he had the accident that stole his sight.

"You were almost hit by a car," Ivan replied. "Vladimir pulled you out of the way but you hit your head. The doctor said there's no damage and you escaped concussion but you've been out for a full day."

"Yeah," Li Xiao's voice said. "You, like, worried us, Dàgē! (_Big Brother!_)." Yao held out his other hand and felt it being taken.

"Sorry, Li Xiao," he replied with a little laugh. "I'll try to avoid cars from now on."

"You could not have avoided this one," Ivan replied. "Vlad seems to think the car came straight at you. And Vlad mentioned you felt like you were being watched." Yao went still.

"Could it be Natalya?" he asked, not without a little fear.

"I called my father," Ivan replied. "Natalya is not in Moscow but Father thinks that she went to Norway, thinking that I'm there and he has someone looking for her there but I think we should be cautious for a while."

"I'm postponing college until, like, Psycho Bitch is caught," Li Xiao replied.

"Nyet!"

"Búyào!" (_Don't!_)" Yao and Ivan both spoke together.

"I can protect your brother," Ivan said, adamantly. "And if I feel I can't, I will get help, even send Yao back to China if I must but you will not sacrifice your education!"

"I agree!" Yao replied. "You have worked hard for your place in college, don't throw it away. It may not even be her. It maybe that someone accidentally stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake and then panicked when they almost hit us."

"My father is finding out what his subordinate has uncovered," Ivan replied. "He will call us with more information. There is no need to panic yet."

* * *

Natalya had acquired a new car and she sat in her motel room, making plans. She would continued to watch Yao and Ivan but make no more moves while she waited for the much needed work visa. It did not matter if the police found the burnt-out car, it could not be trace back to her as she had stolen it in Ottawa. With it burnt beyond recognition, there would no finger prints or forensics for the police to use.

Once the visa was approved she would make her move. It meant an innocent person being hurt but it was necessary to bring her and Ivan back together so she could live with it.

Becoming one with Ivan was all that mattered.

**Who does she plan to hurt? Wait and see! ;) Now here's a question! Which personification do you think Sergei should be? I'm thinking Serbia or maybe Siberia, do you have any other suggestions?**

**To Normandy – Ahh! What it's like to be wanted! ;) Natalya is just going to get more and more bonkers and thank you so much for the compliments and praise! XD**

**Well, next week we might catch up with an old friend that will change Matthew's life and Ivan's worse nightmare comes true. D:**

**Till then,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	22. Rescue Me : Oncoming Storms

**I struggled to get this out in time because I was writing a birthday one-shot for Discordgirl94 who's a relation of mine. She hasn't written anything yet but I think she will at some point. It's a crossover story called _The First Night At Freddy's_. Check it out!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 6 : Oncoming Storms**_

Sergei was making no headway with locating this Ivan Antonov but he had a lot to look through. Electoral rolls, phone books, internet, anything he could find with names but, so far, nothing. He was about to go through the electoral roll of another region when his phone rang. He looked at the caller-id and groaned when he saw General Arlovsky in his phone screen but ignoring it was not an option. General Arlovsky always seemed to know so Sergei pressed answer.

"Privet, General Arlovsky," he greeted. Dmitri did not mess around.

"Privet, Sergei," he replied. "What progress have you made so far?"

"Well, Natalya definitely came here," Sergei reported. "After her arrival, there was no sign so I'm trying to find Ivan Antonov. No luck so far but I'll keep trying."

"Make sure Natalya is still in Norway!" Dmitri ordered. "Someone tried to run Yao down in Canada and he was injured. It could be just a near hit and run but Ivan needs assurance that it wasn't Natalya so he can keep his soul mate safe."

"I'll go back to the airport," Sergei replied. "And see if she left Norway before I arrived. I will call you when I know."

"The second you find out anything," the General said. "We need to find her, Sergei!"

"We will, General," Sergei vowed. "I'll go to the airport now. I will talk to you soon." Sergei ended the call and hoped Natalya was still in Norway. He feared for the General's son and soul mate if she was not.

* * *

Ivan had not had the best start to the day. First, it had been raining over-night, melting some of the snow blowing off the mountains and creating puddles and his phone fell out of his pocket into one when he was getting out of the car at work and he was too late to rescue it before the water got in and shorted it out. Damn! He really needed that phone as he was waiting for his father to get back to him about Natalya. He would have to replace it the first chance he got and send the new number to his father.

The rest of the day was spent with Matthew and Aleks as they sat in the staff room in between rescues which consisted of several skiers warned not to go out on the slopes but went anyway and got into difficulties, someone falling down the stairs at one of the ski lodges that needed air-lifting to hospital and a prank call. Very comical!

At the end of his shift, he returned home to find a police car outside his house and an officer talking to Yao. The police had found the car involved in the near hit-and-run but, and not exactly to their surprise, it was a burnt mess and the licence plates were melted but they got the chassis number from the wreckage and traced it to a car that had been stolen in Ottawa a few weeks before and they brought that news to Ivan and Yao.

"We think the thief might have been spooked by something," the officer said. "And took off and your soul mate was simply in their way so they had to dump the car. I'm sorry, we'll keep trying but the chances are, we might never find them."

"Spasibo (_Thank you_)," Ivan replied. "I know you've done your best, I am grateful."

"Shi," Yao agreed, a bandage still wrapped around his head. "Thank you, officer." The officer gave a smile with a promise to keep trying to find the culprit and left. Yao gave a sigh, whether of relief or about having no clear idea of who was driving that car was uncertain.

"Everything will be all right, Podsolnukh," Ivan assured him as he sat beside Yao, putting his arm around him. "You heard the officer! It was a stolen car and the thief, perhaps, saw police and was trying to get away from them."

"I would feel better if we knew where Natalya was," Yao replied, snuggling into Ivan's side. "If we were certain she is still in Norway. I hate not knowing! I can't even look over my shoulder and what about Li Xiao? If she's here ….." Ivan hugged the Chinese man closer.

"Shush, Podsolnukh," he said, gently. "I will keep you and Li Xiao safe but I don't want you going anywhere alone until I hear from my father, understand! I could not bear to lose you now, moya rodstvennaya dusha! (_my soul mate!_)." Ivan put his finger under Yao's chin to lift his head and place his lips over Yao's. Yao leant into the kiss that made him feel safe, Ivan's kiss could always calm him. He wondered what his soul mate looked like, had from the moment they met but he guessed he would never know. Ivan had once allowed Yao to feel his face with his hands and he knew Ivan was tall with a large nose, firm lips and soft hair but that was as close as Yao would ever get to knowing how Ivan looked.

Ivan broke the kiss and looked down into Yao's slowly opening eyes that stared back at him blankly and then he realised that his hand was on Yao's chest over his heart. His silent heart. Ivan knew Yao's heart would never beat and he wished he could feel it, just once but that was wishing for the moon. Ivan had accepted that Yao's heart would never beat but he also knew that Yao was his soul mate and, for him, that was enough.

"I'm home!" they had not heard Li Xiao come in as he walked in on their moment. "Like, get a room, you two!" And he went to his room, leaving Ivan and Yao to chuckle.

* * *

It had finally come through. Her work visa. Now Natalya could legally work in Canada and, for what she had planned, that was essential. The Rescue Units would not hire anyone who was not legal and she submitted her resume online to the Rescue Unit HQ. One part depended on luck, however. She had to create an opening on Ivan's rescue team and hope she would be given the job because she was in the area.

Now she just had to create that opening!

* * *

Sergei had made a horrible discovery at the airport. Airlines would not normally give out information about passengers but General Arlovsky had provided Sergei with official authorisation to search for his daughter, a Natalya Arlovskaya, missing from her home in a delicate mental state. What they told him shocked him to the core.

A Natalya Arlovskaya had arrived in Oslo and immediately purchased a ticket to Ottawa, Canada and paid with cash. She had only stayed in Norway for about two hours. Sergei had suspected nothing because they had been keeping an eye on her bank account and credit cards. There had been nothing to suggest that she had acquired a large amount of cash to take with her. She had really thought this through. Sergei was immediately on his mobile to the General.

"Sir!" he said when the General answered. "We have a huge problem! Natalya brought a ticket out of Norway the moment she arrived. She bought a ticket to Ottawa! You have to warn your son that she's in Canada and may know where he is. This is too well thought out for it to be a whim."

"Thank you, Sergei," Dmitri replied. "I'll warn him right now. I want you to go to Canada and meet up with Ivan. He works at the Mountain Rescue Station near Banff and, chances are, Natalya will have left Ottawa and she'll be heading his way. Find her and bring her back!"

"Yes, General," Sergei replied and sighed as the General ended the call. Natalya Arlovskaya would be the death of him

* * *

Dmitri took a moment for the news to sink in and then scrolled his contacts for Ivan's number. He had to warn him that Natalya mostly likely knew where he was so he could get his little family away and he dialled the number as he looked out of his window where the beginnings of storm was beginning to build.

_This number cannot be reached! Please try again later!_

No, this was no time for a technological breakdown! He tried again but got the same response. He knew that Ivan would have his phone with him at all times, waiting for this call so what had happened? If it was just a case of Ivan being away from his phone, it would have gone to voice-mail so what was wrong? Was the phone dead? Ivan would not let the battery run down so maybe the phone itself had been damaged! He could only hope that he could get in touch with Ivan soon. If not, he would warned Sergei of this new development.

Somehow, he had to warn Ivan!

* * *

Sergei's attempt to get a ticket to Ottawa hit an immediate snag. Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland had decided to have another another hissy fit and spewed volcanic ash over Western Europe, grounding all flights in and out of Norway and there was no telling when flights would resume. He could not even get a flight back to Moscow to try and fly to Canada from there. He was effectively stuck!

He had to call the General again to tell him of his perdictament and hoped that the volcano would stop erupting and the ash cloud cleared before it was too late.

* * *

Dmitri could not believe their rotten luck. He had seen the Icelandic eruption on the news and had a feeling when his phone rang and he saw it was Sergei. Flights were always grounded when that damn volcano blew and now Sergei was stuck in Norway. He had had no luck with getting hold of Ivan either and, normally, he would have boarded a plane to Canada himself but the storm had built into a full blown blizzard and all flights had been grounded.

"Get the first flight to Canada as soon as the airlines are flying again!" he ordered. "I'll try to get a flight out of Moscow as soon as this storm lifts. Get a plane to Calgary if you can, it's the closest city but if you can't, just take the next available flight!"

"Yes, sir!" Sergei replied and hung up while Dmitri paced his study. Ivan and Yao were at real risk, especially Yao but there was nothing either he or Sergei could do but wait out the volcano and the storm.

* * *

Aleks and Vladimir live a little further away from the Rescue Station than Ivan and Yao so Aleks had further to go to get to work as he kissed Vlad goodbye as he slept and got into his car. He did not mind having longer to go to work, it was a pleasant drive through the woods into Banff and then on to the Rescue Station and usually he had the road to himself at this time but there was a car coming up behind him. While it was unusual for most people to be out at five in the morning, it did not particularly bother Aleks. That was until the car started tail-gating him.

Object in the rearview mirror _may_ appear closer than they are but this car was too close, even for mirror warps or optical illusions and this was further illustrated when the car rammed Aleks's from behind.

Aleks was thrown forward and he fought to control the car but just as he managed, he was rammed again. His car fishtailed a little but he pulled it back under control and sped up to escape the other car.

The other car also increased speed and, this time, came up on his left hand side and Aleks caught a glimpse of the driver but there was nothing much to see, other than someone dress in black with a hood obscuring their head and face. The head turned to glance at him and the lower side of their face was hidden by a scarf. Then they side-slammed him.

The two cars smashed together and Aleks turned his car to the left to prevent his car from being shoved off the road and the two cars pushed against each other as they drove down the woodland road. Then the other car pulled away and the driver's window came down. The driver put their hand out of the window and shot out Aleks's front tyre with the gun they had in their hand.

The tyre exploded and shredded and control was impossible after that as Aleks's car spun out of control and off the road. The last thing Aleks saw were the trees coming at him before the impact sent him into darkness.

* * *

Natalya stopped and looked back at her victim's car. She felt a moment of pity for the guy, after all, he had not stolen Ivan from her but she needed either him or the other one out of the picture but the other one live in the town and was not a pilot and the woodland road was a perfect place to ambush this one. She started her car again and drove off, leaving Aleks unconscious in his wrecked car. Someone needed to find the wreckage and report it but in another hour, there woud be other cars on this road so someone would report it. It would be a pity if the guy died but, as long as it was not Ivan, Natalya was not worried too much.

* * *

"Aleks is late," Matthew commented. "It's not like him!"

"Da," Ivan agreed. "He takes his job seriously. Maybe he had a flat tyre?"

"Possibly," Matthew hummed. "But he checks his car regularly because he depends on it. Maybe there's a tree down in the road. Anyway, he might not be needed for a while. The blizzard in Russia is heading our way and, when it hits, we won't be able to take the helicopter up anyway."

Ivan nodded.

"Did you get your phone replaced?" Matthew asked.

"Nyet," Ivan replied. "I plan to get a new one on my day off, I must get one soon. I'm expecting a call from my father."

"Is there not a phone you can use in the meantime?"

"Nyet!" Ivan replied. "Yao does not have a phone and Li Xiao's has been stolen so I must get him a new phone too," Matthew would have lent him his phone but he had left it at home.

"You haven't had much luck lately, have you, eh," Matthew commented.

"Nyet," Ivan agreed. "I hope it changes soon." The phone began to ring and Matthew got up and answered it.

"Banff Rescue Station!" he greeted. "Vlad! ... Vlad, calm down! Now what were you ... Okay, stay calm, we're coming!" Matthew put down the phone.

"We won't be going up today," he said. "That was Vlad at the hospital. Aleks was in a car accident. He's in a critical condition!"

* * *

Ivan drove them to the hospital after Matthew alerted HQ of what had happened and another nearby team was directed to cover the Banff area until further notice. The moment Vlad saw them come through the door, he immediately rushed over to them and almost threw himself into Matthew's arms, crying.

"I can't lose him, Mattie!" he wept. "I can't live without my soul mate now!" Ivan's heart went out to Vladimir because he knew he would feel the same if it was Yao.

"What happened, Vlad?" Matthew asked.

"Aleks's car was found by someone on their way into town," Vlad replied, wiping his eyes and trying to regain his composure. "He must have been there for an hour! He hasn't regained consciousness yet and he stopped breathing as they brought him in so he's on a ventilator and they think he has internal bleeding!" Matthew continued to hold Vlad in comfort.

"They think a tyre blew out," Vlad said. "But those tyres were changed last month, there's no way any of them should have blown."

"Unless any of them had a fault," Ivan suggested, hoping he was right because if those tyres were in good condition ... Ivan did not want to think of the alternative.

"We'll be here for you and Aleks, Vlad," Matthew promised. "Just let us know what you need."

"But," Vlad protested. "Your jobs ..."

"Until Aleks recovers," Matthew said. "Or HQ find a replacement, we're effectively grounded so, until then, we're at your disposal."

"Da," Ivan replied. "This team is a family and we look after family." Vlad gave him a smile and Ivan smiled back. This was his soul mate's friend and he would look after him as he did Yao and Li Xiao. He only hoped that his friendship was not what had brought all this about.

* * *

"We have a replacement already?" Ivan was surprised when Matthew called the next day to say that he had heard from HQ, saying they had found someone who could replace Aleks while he recovered. If he did! He had not gotten worse but there was no recovery either but it had only been a day so there was still hope.

They were back at the Rescue Station, waiting for their new pilot, not that they would be working for a while soon. The blizzard from Russia was going to hit them soon but it would give them time to get acquainted with their new colleague.

"Apparantly, someone with pilot qualifications submitted a resume who is nearby," Matthew replied. "HQ jumped at the chance to get us back into the air as fast as possible so she was immediately given a job."

"She!"

"You don't have a problem with female pilots, do you, Ivan?" Matthew asked. Ivan shook his head. No, gender was not the problem but Ivan had a dreadful suspicion and the doors opened.

"Pryvitannia (_Hello_), gentleman," a familiar voice said. "I'm your new pilot!" Ivan went pale and his heart pounded while he turned to see the last person he wanted to see.

"My name is Natalya Arlovskaya," his sister said and gave a smug smile to her brother.

**Can anyone outside of Iceland or even the Nordic countries pronounce Eyjafjallajökull? I looked up the pronounication and I still have trouble! I resisted actually putting this story in a specific place because I'm not familiar with the geography of Canada (I barely know my way around my own town) so to any Canadians out there, if I made any mistakes, I profoundly apologise. I gave General Arlovsky and Sergei (who is now Siberia. Thank you Maryranstadler, Exca314 and FussiliWriter!) a hard time because they could not warn Ivan before Natalya made her presence felt. I would also like to thank Exca314 for the suggestions with my Chinese translations. As always, constructive critism is always welcome.**

**To Normandy – You could hit her with a nuclear warhead and I think she would still survive to 'become one' with Ivan! DX Yeah, we love our families but, boy we need a rest from them sometimes. Mine would give the Kirklands a run for their money! XP D Day was a hard fought victory, thanks for doing your bit! ;)**

**Well, that's it for this week. Ivan has a decision to make! Should he keep his secret about why he left Russia now that Natalya is here or should he come clean to Matthew and tell him that Natalya has form for harming people who get close to him and could have been the one who hurt Aleks and we will see a familiar face.**

**Til then,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	23. Rescue Me : Revealing The Truth!

**Many have said that honesty is the best policy so Ivan's going to bite the bullet. Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 7 : Revealing The Truth!**_

Natalya gazed at her brother's pale face, paler than normal. She had surprised him like she had hoped she would and, soon, they would be together like they should be, once she dealt with Yao. Once Ivan was free of him, he would be happy with her even if she had to make him.

Few things could scare Ivan but the things that could all had to do with his little sister. How had she found him? How much did she know and ….. oh, please no! Did she have anything to do with what happened to Aleks?

Were his friends in danger? Was Yao and Li Xiao in danger? How could he keep everyone safe?

Matthew was suddenly aware of how tense Ivan had become and it seemed to be the new pilot that was making him uncomfortable. Did Ivan know her? An ex-girlfriend, perhaps. That could make things awkward with Yao, if that was the case.

"What are you doing here, Natalya?" Ivan demanded, a dark aura coming off him as he glaring at the woman who was possibly responsible for putting his Bulgarian work colleague in the hospital. "Why aren't you in Moscow?"

"I came looking for you," she replied. "Surely, you knew I would! Why did you suddenly disappear like that, Big Brother?" Matthew was confused now. If this was Ivan's little sister, why did he not seem happy to see her? He had to find a way to ease the tension.

"Hello," he greeted. "I'm pleased to meet you, my name's Matthew!" Natalya turned and pinned the Canadian with a stare.

Natalya knew the quiet man was not Ivan's soul mate but he could interfere with her future plans for Ivan. Ivan could turn his affections to this man once Yao was gone and she would not allow that to happen,

"So you work with my brother," she commented with a hint of something disturbing that put Ivan on edge. "Just a work colleague or are you and Ivan …. closer than that?"

"Nyet!" Ivan blurted. "Matthew has a soul mate. They're not in the country right now!" Matthew gave Ivan a look. Why had he said that? Ivan knew Matthew had not found his soul mate so why lie?

Ivan did not like the look in Natalya's eye when she stared at Matthew. The last time Ivan had seen that look in Natalya's eye, Saskia had ended up in hospital. Aleks could have been her latest victim and Ivan did not want to any more of his friends in the line of fire. Before Matthew could contradict what he had just told Natalya, he grabbed hold of Natalya's arm and began dragging her toward the staff lounge.

"Pardon us for a moment, Matvey," he said, pulling Natalya behind into the room and shut the door. Then he almost threw Natalya into a chair.

"I will ask you again, Natalya," he warned. "Why are you here? I don't want you here!"

"Why not, Big Brother?" she asked, looking hurt.

"Because I finally have friends," he replied. "And I do not want them harmed or, worse, killed! I already have one friend in the hospital. Did you have anything to do with that?"

"Why would you think that I would hurt your friends?" Natalya asked, innocently. "Why would I want to hurt the people who care about you?"

"For that reason," Ivan replied. "Or have you forgotten the friends that you admitted hurting back in Moscow! Especially Saskia. Aleks has a soul mate who is worrying about him, worrying that he might not make it. If I find you had anything to do with the accident that put Aleks in ICU, I will not be held responsible for what I do. I'm warning you, Natalya! Stay away from my friends and stay away from my house!"

"You are not going to offer to let me stay with you!" Natalya seemed genuinely shocked.

"Have you gone deaf, Natalya?" Ivan replied, his dark aura reminiscent of their father when he lost his temper and Ivan's trademark smile absent. "I. DO. NOT. WANT. YOU. HERE!" He punctuated each word with a jab of his finger. He was tired of looking over his shoulder, fearing for his little family and he vowed it would end now.

"I left Moscow to get away from you," he said, brutally. "You're obsessive and dangerous! Because of you, I could not even have friends for fear of them being harmed." He took her arm in a hard grip and pulled her up toward him. "Well, I'm done with that! Hope that no more of my friends have any more untoward accidents because, if they do, I will come looking for you, Natalya, and put you where you belong, in a mental institution! Proof or no proof!" He let her go and she fell back into the chair as he turned and left the lounge, slamming the door behind him.

Natalya rubbed her arm where Ivan had gripped it. Big Brother had never been so physical with her before, so harsh! He had changed and it had to be that Yao person who had turned her beloved brother into this twisted parody of himself. Yes, it was Yao's fault!

She would have to get rid of Yao permanently. To save Ivan as well as make him hers!

* * *

Matthew had just put down the phone when he heard the door slam and Ivan come away from the lounge with a dark mood hanging over him like a black cloud. Evidently, Ivan was very unhappy to see his sister and why had he lied about Matthew having a soul mate? Ivan picked up the phone and dialled.

"Li Xiao," he said when he got an answer. "Where's Yao?... I want you to go there and stay with him and wait for me to collect you both and don't let your brother call the Rescue Station...Why? Because Natalya's here!" Matthew was now even more intrigued by all this. What was it about Natalya that had Ivan and his family on edge?

"She gave no indication that she knows about you or Yao," Ivan continued. "But I will take no chances. Stay at the hospital until I come for you, keep Vlad with you too …...She did not really say. I don't trust her but I have no proof. Just keep everyone together until I come for you. I'll be there as soon as I can." Ivan put the phone down.

"So," Matthew said. "How come you know I have a soul mate and I don't?" Ivan turned to Matthew.

"Not here, Matthew!" he said. "Come with me later and I'll explain. Don't tell Natalya about Yao or Li Xiao or that I even have a soul mate. And don't tell her where I live!" Now Matthew was worried.

"What's going on, Yao?" he asked. Ivan sighed. He knew he was going to have to give Matthew an explanation so he would get everyone together and tell them all at once.

He just hoped that Vladimir would forgive him.

"Yao's at the hospital," Ivan explained. "He's there with Vlad and Li Xiao is going to meet them. As soon as we leave here, I want you to come with me so I can tell you all together."

"That's sooner than you think," Matthew replied. "That storm from Russia is an hour away and all rescue helicopters in the area are grounded until further notice. We're off duty until then. They'll contact us by pager when the grounding has been lifted. If we get the helicopter into the hanger and close up, we can leave now."

"Let us get that done then, da?" Ivan replied. "But Matvey, under no circumstances offer Natalya a ride! I do not want her at the hospital where my family and friends are, Believe me, mon drug! I have reasons for asking this." Matthew nodded and they began closing down the station against the storm.

They towed the helicopter into the hanger and locked it up and then they locked up the station. Natalya was hopeful for the offer of a ride, she was disappointed. Not that she could insist, she had her own car.

Matthew drove his truck ahead of Ivan's who kept a close eye on the road behind for Natalya's car. He could not see it but, while Natalya was in Banff, indeed in Canada, he could not lower his guard.

* * *

Vlad sat by Aleks's hospital bed, holding his soul mate's hand with Yao sat by his side. Li Xiao stood against a wall, despite there being two more chairs in the room, waiting and looked round when the hospital room door opened and Ivan and Matthew came in. They could see there had been little change in Aleks's condition and what Ivan had to tell Matthew and Vlad, he did not want to do at Aleks's bedside but he had little choice, unless he wanted to tell them out in the corridor where everyone could hear them.

Yao turned his sightless eyes toward Ivan as he recognised his footsteps and the smell of his aftershave, mingling with the slight smell of fuel from moving the helicopter. He also knew that Matthew was there too, from the smell of pancakes and maple syrup that he liked so much. He also had a scent of fuel.

"Privet, Vladimir," Ivan greeted. "Privet, Podsolnukh." And he bent to kiss Yao on the forehead.

"Is what Li Xiao told me correct, Ivan?" Yao asked with a little fear. "Has she found us?" Ivan sighed.

"She has found me," he replied. "Beyond that, I don't know! She showed up as Aleks's replacement and I dislike the timing greatly."

"Who's replaced Aleks?" Vlad asked. "What are you all talking about?" Ivan indicated that Matthew sit in one chair while he took the other.

"I have a lot to tell you," he replied. "And I'm sorry, Vlad. What happened to Aleks maybe connected to what I'm about to tell you." Vlad frowned and Ivan took a deep breath.

"My name was originally Ivan Arlovsky," he admitted. "I was born in Alaska so I have dual citizenship with Russia and the US and about four years ago, Yao, Li Xiao and I went to Alaska and I changed my last name to Braginski and then we made our way to Canada and here."

"Why did you need to change your name and leave your home?" Matthew asked, although he had a feeling that Natalya was at the bottom of it.

"My younger sister," Ivan replied, sadly. "She has inappropriate feelings for me, has had them for some time. Every time I made a friend, something would happen to them and soon no one wanted to be my friend except one girl in college who thought I was lonely. Her name was Saskia and she had no romantic interest in me, she just wanted to be my friend. Then one night, I received a call, saying she was in the hospital. She had been studying late and, as she left the campus library, a rock fell on her from the top of the building. It struck her shoulder and broke several bones and, had it hit her a few inches to the left, she would have died. I thought I was just cursed until my sister approached me and, more or less, told me that she had hurt all my friends out of jealously. She thought they all had romantic interests."

"Why the flight from Russia?"

"I knew that if Natalya would do this to my friends," Ivan replied. "She would do worse to my soul mate once I found him so I made plans with my father to leave Russia immediately, once I convinced my soul mate of the danger. When I found Yao and Li Xiao, we went to Alaska and lived there for a few months to change my name and find a piloting job somewhere out of the way but then this job came up in Canada so I applied for a Canadian work visa and came here instead. I never thought she would ever find us. My father has been running interference for us since we left, keeping Natalya from finding our location but, somehow, she discovered where we were. I knew that she had left Russia but every indication was that she believed that I was in Norway."

"What does she have to do with Aleks's accident?" Vlad demanded.

"I can't be sure if she had anything to do with it," Ivan admitted. "She neither confirmed or denied but I suspect that she may be the reason that Aleks crashed, her history would suggest it."

"But why?" Vlad almost wailed. "Did she think that you and Aleks …..."

"Possibly," Ivan replied. "But her getting this position after Aleks's accident! The timing disturbs me. I was waiting for a call from my father but my phone has been damaged, Yao does not possess one and Li Xiao's was stolen. I tried to call from a land-line but I think the recent storm had brought down lines in Moscow because I could not get through." He turned to Vlad.

"I'm sorry!" Ivan apologised. "I only wanted to protect my soul mate but I brought my problems here instead and endangered yours. I hope you can forgive me some day but I know better than to expect that now."

Vladimir stayed silent. Yes, he was angry! Angry at Ivan for bring his troubles into their lives, Natalya for causing the troubles in the first place, Yao, Ivan and Li Xiao for not confiding in them. How did it get this far?"

"If she's so crazy," he asked. "Why isn't she in some kind of institution?"

"We can't prove any of it," Ivan replied. "My sister is good at covering her tracks but I promise! If I find proof that she had anything to do with what happened to Aleks, I won't hesitate to deal with her!"

"Does she know about me?" Yao said. "Could she have had anything to do with my near hit-and-run?"

"I don't think so," Ivan told him. "He thought that Matthew and I might have been involved."

"That's why you told her I had a soul mate," Matthew realised. "If she thought that you and I …."

"Harm would have befallen you," Ivan finished. "Natalya has no limit to what she'll do to achieve her aims so I did what I must to protect you. I only wish I had known Natalya was here sooner, to protect Aleks."

"Ivan!" Vlad said. "I realise that everything you did was to protect Yao but until Natalya's been dealt with, I need you and Yao to stay away. I'm sorry but I can't risk that your sister won't try to do something else to Aleks to get at you." Yao looked down at his lap and Ivan smiled, sadly. Thanks to Natalya, he was losing his friends again.

"I understand," he replied. "I'm sorry for bringing this trouble to you."

"I know," Vlad said. "You were protecting your soul mate and I must protect mine."

* * *

The storm would hit soon and Matthew would never get home in time so Ivan offered to put him up for the night, half expecting the Canadian to refuse to be anywhere near Ivan's home but Matthew accepted his invitation and followed Ivan's truck. Yao retired to his and Ivan's room as soon as they arrived and Ivan knew that he was upset. Li Xiao had said nothing, in the hospital or the truck and also went to his room while Ivan and Matthew sat in the living room, Ivan with vodka and Matthew with a beer.

"Don't take what Vlad said to heart," Matthew advised. "He's a little angry but he understands. He just afraid for his soul mate right now and worrying that Aleks might not recover."

"If I could take Aleks's place right now," Ivan replied. "I would! Natalya's my problem, others should not suffer." Matthew looked down at his beer.

"I knew you were hiding something," he admitted. "Aleks knew it too! You should have told us from the start, Ivan …... but Aleks still might have had this accident, if that's what it was! There are no guarantees in life!"

"More's the pity," Ivan muttered.

"The big question now is," Matthew said. "Is how do we deal with Natalya? If she did have something to do with what happened to Aleks, we're working with a ticking time-bomb!"

"Da," Ivan agreed. "We could tell HQ she's unsuitable but, without proof of wrong-doing, they may not remove her and even if they did..."

"There's nothing to stop her from returning and causing havoc," Matthew reasoned. "And we won't know when or from where she'll strike. So, we do nothing and keep her where we can see her?"

"Da," Ivan replied. "Keep our friends close and our enemies closer." He raised his vodka to Matthew who raised his beer.

"Much closer," he replied, telling Ivan that he was with him, come what may. So he had not lost all of his friends!

* * *

The storm that had plagued Russia had moved on to Canada and flights from Moscow were now lifting off the ground but flights to Canada was still grounded as the storm had closed most major airports so General Arlovsky was still stuck in Moscow and Sergei was no closer to getting out of Norway. And Ivan was still incommunicado! Dmitri was worried but until the storm lifted, there was nothing either he or Sergei could do.

* * *

Natalya sat in her hotel room, pondering her next move. Asking Ivan if he and Matthew were an item was a nice touch as Ivan now had no idea she knew about Yao so she had the advantage. She pulled out the drawer of the bedside table and took out Li Xiao's phone. It had been a stroke of luck when she saw Ivan damage his phone and she had never seen Yao with a phone. It meant her father could not get in contact with Ivan and the only other phone was the boy's so she had followed him and, when an opportunity presented itself, took it.

She could do nothing about the land-line but Lady Luck had smiled on her as phone-lines to Moscow failed in the blizzard that was now howling outside her window but she knew that, once the storm blew itself out, her father or his lap-dog, Sergei would be on their way to Canada.

As soon as the storm departed, she would have to work fast.

Yao had to die!

**Natalya has finally turned murderous! Ivan's confession took up more of this chapter than I thought it would so this hasn't gone like I thought it would and things I was going to put in this chapter will be in the next one! Please don't be too hard on Vlad! He just scared and a little angry right now but, hopefully, he get over it!**

**To Normandy – I still can't say ****Eyjafjallajökull! I give up! :( If you're mad that Natalya hurt Aleks, how do you feel now she wants to kill Yao? DX Tell Roderich and Vash to cool it or I'll be sending Elizaveta and her frying pan to sort them out! XP**

**And that's it for this week. I'm hoping that familiar face I've been promising for the last couple of chapters show up next week. He should! (fingers crossed!)**

**Till then,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	24. Rescue Me : A Little Help

**It's update day again and here we go, the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 8 : A Little Help**_

It was two days before the message came through that the helicopter was cleared to take to the air again and they were back at work but Ivan had Matthew call him to tell him that Natalya had arrived before leaving. Even knowing where Natalya was, Ivan still wanted Li Xiao to stay with Yao when he was not there and Ivan finally replaced his and Li Xiao's cell phones and the first call Ivan made on his was to his father.

"I've been trying to call you for the past few days," Dmitri said when Ivan finally got in touch with him. "I have to warn you, Ivan. Natalya's in Canada!"

"I'm aware of that, Otets," Ivan replied. "Somehow she managed to get a position on my rescue team when our other pilot had an 'accident'."

"You think she was involved?" Dmitri asked.

"It can't be proved," Ivan replied. "But the timing's too coincidental so I think she had something to do with it. Aleks is in ICU, fighting for his life right now. If I find that she had anything to do with that …..."

"Does she know about Yao?"

"She doesn't seem to," Ivan replied. "She seemed to think that there was something between my other friend, Matvey, and myself. I lied and said he had a soul mate. My friends know everything now. Aleks's soul mate doesn't want me or Yao near until Natalya is dealt with." Dmitri could hear the sadness in his son's voice.

"Take heart, moy sin _(my son)_," he assured. "He said until Natalya is dealt with, da? That means he still wishes to be your friend, he just wants to protect his soul mate. Not an unwise decision, Natalya is dangerous and she will attack your friends again if she believes it will get her what she wants. What of your other friend, Matvey?"

"He is staying by me," Ivan replied. "He wishes to help."

"Good," Dmitri said. He was pleased that his son was not completely on his own. "I'm sending help. It was my intention to come myself but meetings have been called and it would be unwise for me to leave the country, right now. However, I'm sending Katyusha and Eduard to help you and distract Natalya and Eduard managed to find out where Natalya's staying. It's one of the ski hotels near you and he's booked both Katyusha and himself in and Sergei will follow as soon as he can leave Norway. It was hopeful that the ash cloud would have cleared by now but it seems that volcano in Iceland, whatever it's called, wasn't finished and there was a second eruption. Once the meetings are over, I'll be out there too."

"Thank you, Otets," Ivan replied. "I appreciate the assistance."

"You are my son," Dmitri said, simply. "Yao is your soul mate so he is my son also, as is Li Xiao and I will protect you all as much as I can. Katyusha and Edward left today so they should be with you soon and I will see you as soon as I can. Until then watch your back around Natalya!"

"I will, Do svidaniya, Otets," Ivan gave his goodbyes.

"Do svidaniya, moy sin," Dmitri replied and ended the call. He was relieved that he would soon have help with Natalya but he would not relax until Natalya was out of their hair for good.

* * *

Although Yao knew he should not, he wished the storm was still blowing because it meant that Natalya could not get near them. Not even she was crazy enough to go out in a blizzard but now it was over, Yao felt less secure although, right now, he knew that Natalya was at the Rescue Station because Matthew had called Ivan to tell him it was safe to leave Yao and Li Xiao at the house. But Yao was not liking the idea of Ivan being in close proximity to his insane sister any better.

He heard Li Xiao's bedroom door open and close and then the bathroom door open and close as the teenager finally got up for the day. Li Xiao would be staying close to Yao and Yao felt guilty about that because this was no way for a teenager to live. He should be hanging out with his friends because going to college but here Li Xiao was, stuck to his older brother's side because Yao's soul mate's sister was incestuous and mad.

The bathroom door opened and closed again and he could hear Li Xiao wandering toward the living room but diverting into the kitchen to grab some breakfast. Yao took the well-remembered path from the living room to the kitchen and could hear the cupboards being opened and closed. It kind of made Yao smile that he, without his sight, could put his hands on anything in the kitchen and Li Xiao still had to search for the dishes.

"Second cupboard from the cooker, above your head, aru" he told Li Xiao. He heard the cupboard open and the clink of crockery.

"Like, thanks," Li Xiao replied.

"Would you like me to make you some breakfast, aru?" Yao offered.

"That's okay," his younger brother replied. "I'm, like, good with the cereal." Yao heard a box being opened and the sound of the cereal being put into the bowl and then the splash of milk. Then he could hear Li Xiao putting things away. Throughout the house, Li Xiao always put things away so his brother did not trip over anything or knock off anything unexpectedly left on counters. Yao knew better than to go into Li Xiao's room, however. That was a minefield for a sighted person, never mind a blind man. Yao heard Li Xiao start munching.

"Are we, like, going to have to run again?" Li Xiao did not want to leave, everything was going good for him here. He had friends, he was going to college, he was settled.

"We'll see," Yao replied. "I don't want to go. We've built a good life for ourselves here, I don't want Natalya to take it away from us but the things she did to Ivan's friends in the past, especially his college friend, Saskia doesn't bear thinking about, aru. If she finds out about me …..."

"We won't let her get close," Li Xiao said. "I still think I should, like, push back college for a year until Psycho Bitch is, like, finally stuffed into a straight-jacket." Yao shook his head.

"You worked hard for the college place," he said. "Besides, I want you away from all this where you can be safe. It's the job of a parent or guardian, aru."

"You're my brother," Li Xiao snorted. "Not my mother! I'm not, like, a kid any more and I don't have to run. I can stand my ground and I can, like, help to protect you." The house phone rang.

"This conversation's not over, aru," Yao warned and made his way back to the living room and picked up the phone.

"Hello, aru?" he said. Li Xiao wandered into the living room as he listened to the one-side conversation, although he knew it was Ivan when Yao said his name,

"Really?" Yao said into the mouthpiece. "When will they get here? Will they be staying with us, aru?" Li Xiao ate another mouthful of cereal as Yao listened to what Ivan was saying.

"That's good," Yao replied to whatever Ivan told him. "More help would be welcome, aru." More muttering from the phone.

"I'll stay with Li Xiao until you get home, I promise," Yao said. "I love you! Goodbye, aru." Yao put the phone back down.

"Maybe I should still, like, go to college," Li Xiao mused. "You and Ivan, like, need space. What was he saying?"

"His older sister and husband are arriving today," Yao replied. "They're coming to help watch Natalya. They're staying in the same hotel Natalya's staying at so they can keep tabs on her, aru."

"The more help, like, the better," Li Xiao agreed.

"Ivan's father is trying to get here too," Yao continued. "As well as one of his subordinates but General Arlovsky is stuck in Russia and his man can't leave Norway because of the Icelandic eruption. They'll get here as soon as they can, aru."

"It can't be, like, too soon!"

* * *

Natalya was quaking with fury when she was able to leave the Rescue Station to return to her hotel, only to see her sister and her soul mate husband checking in. She knew her father well enough to know that he probably sent them to watch her and, with them here, her movements would be restricted. The moment she tried to approach Yao in any way, they would report to Ivan. Even if she tried to get to Li Xiao, they would be on the phone to Ivan.

"Natalya!" Katyusha exclaimed as if all this was a coincidence, although Natalya was not fooled. "I didn't know you were here!"

"Didn't you?"Natalya said, coldly. "I'm surprised Father didn't tell that I had, err, left Moscow. I suppose he didn't tell you that Big Brother's here as well, working for Mountain Rescue?"

"Really!" Katyusha said, brightly. "Ivan's here! I'll have to pay him a visit while Eduard and I are here. I would love to see our big brother again."

"I'm sure you would," Natalya muttered, not buying Katyusha's innocent routine for a moment as they were joined by Eduard who gave a smile to Natalya but had a hint a wariness in his eyes.

"Hello, Natalya," he greeted his sister-in-law. "I never expected to see you here. Katyusha and I decided to take a holiday and I heard about this place and thought it would be nice."

_'Of course you did!'_ Natalya thought, sarcastically. _'Papa-in-law had absolutely nothing to do with it!'_

"Eduard," Katyusha said. "Natalya said that Ivan's here!"

"Well, we'll have to pay him a visit," Eduard replied like it was a complete surprise to him. "We better go to our room and get settled. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other, Natalya."

"I'll see you later, Natalya," Katyusha said as they walked away while Natalya's eyes narrowed at their retreat. Yes, they were definitely here to spy on her for Father and to interfere with her plans to rid Ivan of Yao.

She would have to think of something to get them out of the way.

* * *

As they walked away, Eduard and Katyusha shot a look toward each other. Neither thought Natalya was fooled by their act that being there when she was was a coincidence but now she knew they were here and so she would have to restrict her actions, hopefully enough until the General or Sergei could get here.

* * *

That evening, Yao sat in bed with one of his books while Ivan changed for bed. Ivan watched Yao as he ran his fingers across the Braille but he knew Yao was not reading the book because he had run his fingers across the same row many times. He climbed into the bed beside Yao and pulled the book from his hand, pulling Yao into his chest and hugging him close.

"You are worried, Podsolnukh," he commented as they snuggled down into the bed.

Yao felt the book being taken from his hand but it did not bother him. He had idly been running his fingers across the same line over and over but if anyone asked what that line said, he could not have told them. All he could think of was Natalya and the threat her presence posed to his family. He feared for himself, that was true but he feared for his soul mate and younger brother more. If either of them were harmed …..

He nestled in Ivan's chest as they snuggled down into the covers and did not respond to Ivan's comment. Ivan looked down at Yao's head, his hair no longer restrained and falling around his shoulders and it seemed to Ivan like such a intimate thing, although he was sure that Li Xiao had seen his brother's hair down from time to time but, in moments like this, it seemed like something just for Ivan alone.

He kissed the top of Yao's head and held he tighter.

"Tell me!" it was almost an order but Ivan wanted to ease his soul mate's fears.

"Natalya, aru," Yao whispered and Ivan nodded. He had expected this. "Can we be sure she doesn't know about me? If she does, what's to stop her from going after Li Xiao to get to us or even go after you for finding a soul mate in the first place, aru?" Ivan smiled. That was his Yao! He worried about Ivan and Li Xiao when he was the most vulnerable.

"We can't be sure," Ivan admitted. "But if she does, I won't be in physical danger from her. You would be her target, Li Xiao would be a means to strike that target so I worry about the two of you. But Eduard and Katyusha have arrived and are in the same hotel. She can't make a move without them telling me and soon Father and Sergei will be here and they will deal with her. Forget about her now!" Yao sighed.

"I wish I could, aru!"

"I can make you forget for a while," Ivan promised, rolling them over and covering Yao's mouth with his own.

* * *

Natalya knew she was being followed every time she left the hotel and she knew it was her sister or brother-in-law. She needed to find a way to distract them soon as, before long, her father or his lapdog would be here to drag her back to Moscow and Yao would make Ivan leave again for parts unknown so this was her only chance to get Ivan but to do that, she had to eliminate Yao and she could not do that if there was someone ready to jump in and spoil her plans.

As she paced her room, trying to think of something, her emergency page went off, alerting her to an emergency about someone stuck up a mountain in a drunken state that required the Rescue Team. She cursed under her breath at the interruption but dared not ignore it or Ivan and Matthew would come looking for her. She grabbed her car keys and left the hotel.

Eduard saw her and followed in his own rented car but was relieved when she went straight to the Rescue Station, Ivan just a minute behind. He saw Natalya's car and then spotted Eduard in his car, giving him a wave of acknowledgement and thanks, then Eduard drove away, knowing that Ivan would handle it from here.

* * *

Someone was climbing a cliff-face, not usual but the emergency pager had said that this person was drunk. 'Cretin,' Ivan thought but this man could tumble down the mountain in that state so they had to get him down before there was a casualty. He went to get suited up in his rescue gear and found Natalya zipping up her flight jacket.

"Saving idiots who get drunk and climb mountains is a waste of our time and fuel," she muttered. "I say, let the fool fall! It will teach others not to be so moronic!" Ivan scowled at Natalya who's respect for life seemed to have plummeted further than it already had.

"All life is precious, Natalya," he reprimanded. "Even that of a mountain-climbing drunkard." Natalya snorted and then Matthew scrambled in and pulled his own gear from his locker.

"Who are we saving this time, eh?" he asked and Natalya snorted again.

"Apparently, some idiot got drunk and decided to go climbing," she said, mockingly. "He was already a good way up before his friends could stop him so we have to go rescue the moron." Ivan shook his head in wonder.

"How did he managed to climb intoxicated?" Matthew's face showed that he was wondering the same thing.

"The guy must have more lives than a cat," Natalya replied and looked at Matthew and Ivan. "All right! Let's go save the imbecile!"

* * *

The helicopter sped over the trees and snow toward the mountain that they had been told the drunk man had climbed and was now, according to updates, stuck on a ledge. As Ivan co-piloted the helicopter, he tried to decide which was best. Pilot the helicopter while Natalya winched Matthew down to the stranded climber or operate the winch himself. He decided that he would operate the winch. He did not like the idea of his friend's life in the hands of his crazy sister and Natalya was unlikely to do anything stupid with the helicopter with herself or him on board.

They spotted a figure on the side of the mountain and Matthew began to strap himself into the hoist while Ivan removed his restraining straps and climbed out of the co-pilot seat and strapping himself to the hook above the door. Natalya brought the helicopter up to a height to lower Matthew down without danger of the blades hitting the cliff-face and Ivan had to admit that Natalya was a good pilot. Matthew stepped out the helicopter with Ivan helping him and began to dangle above the rescuee while Ivan operated the winch, lowering Matthew down while he guided the cable out to keep it from moving about in the wind too much.

After a minute or so, Matthew had reached the man and waved his hand and Ivan stopped the winch while Matthew assessed the situation, putting the extra sling that he had taken down, over the other man's shoulders but then they looked at each other and seemed to freeze for a moment. Ivan wondered what was going on but the Matthew gave the hand signal to take them up and Ivan set the winch going again. Matthew and his rescuee were slowly pulled up and, finally they reached the helicopter where Ivan grabbed them and pulled them into the helicopter.

Natalya had no patience with the man who had interrupted her planning with his drunken idiocy and she turned to glare at the man. White hair poked out of the ski hat he was wearing and his pale skin and red eyes denoted him as an albino and he was still clinging to Matthew.

"What did you think you were doing, you imbecile?" she snapped at the man. "We've got better things to do than rescuing idiots who climb mountains drunk!" The man gave her sheepish grin.

"Ja, not my most awesome moment," he replied with a Germanic accent. "But something good did come out of it!" He pulled Matthew close and covered his mouth in a passionate kiss. Ivan looked stunned and Natalya nearly lost control of the helicopter. Not that she cared if Matthew got kissed but the man was supposed to have a soul mate out of the country somewhere. Was Matthew about to cheat on them? So much for soul mates!

"WHAT THE HELL!" she gasped when they finally parted lips. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Matthew went bright red..

"Birdie here and I are soul mates," the albino announced, putting his arm around Matthew. Soul mates! They were soul mates! Could this be the soul mate Ivan said was out of town but then the man had said something good had come out of his excursion up the mountain which meant they had just met. Which meant Ivan had lied when he said Matthew had found his soul mate, although she felt a pang of sympathy for Matthew. His soul mate was clearly a moron.

"Brilliant timing!"she commented. "Rather you than me, Mećju! _(Matthew!)_" Then she turned her gaze on to Ivan who looked happy for his friend.

He had lied to her! Oh, she knew that Matthew was not and would never be Ivan's soul mate but he had lied to his own sister about Matthew. This was Yao! It had to be Yao! She would confront her brother about his lies and then …..

She would confront Yao! And remove him from her brother's life for good!

**Oh dear! Natalya's not happy about being lied to and, once again, she blaming Yao! It couldn't be her, could it! I mean it's not like she would have hurt Matthew if she thought he and Ivan were an item! It's not like she's got form for hurting Ivan's friends! (yes, that was sarcasm!). And there's the familiar face I was talking about! Yay, Gilbert!**

**To Normandy – Roderich and Vash as cats! I would love to have seen that! I can just imagine Neko Vash threatening to beat Roderich with his cat bowl! XP**

**Another old friend will (hopefully) put in an appearance next week as Natalya finds her distraction and things start to go south very quickly.**

**So till next time,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	25. Rescue Me : Diversionary Tactics

**We revisit a certain situation and find there was more behind it. Here we go, enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 9 : Diversionary Tactics**_

When they arrived back at the Rescue Station, two friends of the albino, Gilbert Beilschmidt, along with the police, were waiting with a very disgruntled man to talk to him. Apparently, Gilbert had, err, _borrowed_ the man's climbing gear and he was very unhappy with the Germanic man. As he was hauled off by the cops, Matthew followed, giving Gilbert's friends, a blonde, blue-eyed Frenchman called Francis Bonnefoy and a green-eyed, Spanish brunette man named Antonio Carriedo, a ride, leaving Ivan and Natalya to deal with the helicopter. As Ivan went to check the helicopter over, his arm was suddenly grabbed by Natalya.

"Why did you lie to me?" she hissed. "You told me that Mećju had already found his soul mate but clearly that wasn't true so why did you lie?" Ivan pulled his arm from her grip.

"You have a short memory, Natalya," he said. "You seemed to have forgotten what you've done to my unmated friends in the past. I was protecting my friend from your obsessive jealousy."

"You seem to care a lot about this man," Natalya replied, eyes narrowing. Now Ivan was unnerved by Natalya's tone. Being soul mated may not be enough to protect Matvey from Natalya's ill-intentions. He would have to warn his Canadian friend to be on his guard and he grabbed Natalya by her wrists.

"I'm still unconvinced that you had nothing to do with what happened to Aleks," he warned. "If anything happens to Matvey now, you will regret it, _Sister!_" He emphasised Sister just to remind Natalya of their true relationship and put just enough contempt in it to show how much he was regretting being related to her. "I will have no more friends damaged by you!" He shoved her away from him and went back to checking the helicopter. Natalya rubbed her wrists and glared at Ivan as he checked the back rotor. Her brother had indeed changed. The sooner she disposed of Yao and got Ivan back to Moscow, the better.

* * *

As it happened, Ivan did not have to worry about Matthew after all as he requested time off to go and meet Gilbert's brother but he was apologetic to Ivan for leaving in his time of need.

"Don't worry about it," Ivan replied, waving off Matthew's apologies. "This is your soul mate we're talking about. Besides, I'm glad you won't be here for a while, Natalya has made threatening noises toward you so it might be better for you to out of the way for a while. My older sister and brother-in-law are here now so my family still have some protection but I will have to call HQ and tell them we need a temporary replacement but I don't see as being a problem."

"Unless they get on the wrong side of Natalya."

"True," Ivan conceded. "But she has been warned."

"I meant to tell you," Matthew said. "Vlad called. There's been improvement with Aleks, he's off the ventilator. He's still unconscious but he's breathing on his own." Ivan breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good news," he replied. "But I'll be happier when he wakes up."

"Me too!"

* * *

The ash cloud was clearing and flight restriction was being lifted so Sergei booked the next flight to Canada which, fortunately was going to Calgary. He informed General Arlovsky that he would be in Canada in a day or so. The General was still stuck in meetings but he would be there a few days after Sergei. Sergei planned to have Natalya caught by then and ready for the General to drag home, leaving Ivan and his soul mate in peace.

At least, that was the plan!

* * *

Natalya sat in the hotel bar, stewing at her inability to move against Yao, what with her two shadows and Ivan sticking close to home since Matthew had left with his soul mate and his replacement had yet to arrive so the helicopter would not be going up. She nursed her drink while trying to find away to distract everyone so she could slip surveillance and finally deal with her rival.

Then Ivan came into the bar and met up with Eduard and Katyusha and she cursed. They would all watch her now and she would not be able to make a move without one of them seeing. True, Ivan did not realise she knew about Yao but he would be suspicious of every move she made and would make sure she made no moves toward his home. She watched them talk but she was too far away to hear what they were saying and she wondered if it was her they were talking about.

She was not too far off the mark.

"I got a call from Vlad," Ivan told Eduard after the bartender gave him his glass of vodka. "Aleks has regained consciousness. He is apparently coherent but remembers little about the accident, however the police have been investigating why such relatively new tyres could blow the way they did. It seems they believe that the tyre blew because it was penetrated by something."

"By something?" Katyusha replied. "I'm guessing you don't mean a stone or other road debris."

"The police think it was something of uniform shape," Ivan said. "Circular." Eduard let that sink in.

"Like a bullet?" he guessed. Ivan nodded and took a glance over a Natalya sitting at the bar.

"If Natalya did do this," he replied. "I'm not liking the idea that she has a gun. There is also evidence that Aleks was involved in a altercation with another car. There was paint of another colour in the scratches on Aleks's car and skid-marks further down the road."

"We know that Natalya's capable of hurting others to get what she wants," Eduard mused. "And she wants you, we all know that. So, she did it?"

"There's no proof," Ivan said. "But I suspect she did."

"Why would she, though?" Katyusha asked.

"A place on the rescue team?" Ivan suggested. "Pilots are welcome in Canada and if she put in an application at a time when a space became available and she was nearby..."

"Chances are she would be hired," Eduard replied. "She's a lot smarter than any of us gave her credit for if that's what happened. I hope your father and Sergei get here soon and get her out of our hair because I would hate to see what would happen if she finds out about Yao. How's he doing during all of this?" Ivan sighed.

"He is worried," Ivan replied. "Oddly, he is more worried about myself and Li Xiao than himself. Myself, I do not fear for but Yao and Li Xiao will be in great danger if she should find out. I am wondering if I should sent them to their family back in China until Natalya is dealt with. What do you think?"

"It would be a wise precaution," Eduard said. "But I think you would have a hard time getting Yao to leave without you. Another day or so and Sergei will be here to take Natalya into custody. We just have to make sure Yao stays a secret until then."

* * *

Natalya had seen Ivan look over at her and wished it was in affection or adoration but he looked suspicious of her and she stared angrily into her drink. Could he not see that everything she did was for them? So they could be together, despite the world trying to pull them apart? Ivan smiled at Katyusha with the affection that he never directed at Natalya any more and Natalya burned with jealously.

"Such a beautiful girl such as yourself should not look so dour, chérie," a male French voice purred. "Such a beautiful face was made laughter and L'amour." Natalya rolled her eyes and turned to see a blonde, blue-eyed man with light facial hair gazing sultrily at her. She recognised him as someone who had been hanging around the hotel with some Spaniard and that German idiot they had rescue off the cliff. She had seen him flirting with anything that had a pulse, although she was not sure that anything without a pulse would be safe either.

"Leave me alone!" she snapped. "I'm not in the mood." This did not deter the flirty Frenchman.

"Ah, I could not leave a damsel-in-distress, mon cher," he replied. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Francis Bonnefoy and you are …..."

"Not interested!" Natalya tried to turn away and ignore him but then her eye fell back on the little family group and an idea occurred to her. It would put the Frenchman in the line of fire but it would teach him a lesson about being such a flirt and she turned back to him with a small smile. "I'm sorry! I'm just mad at my brother-in-law. He's supposed to be my sister's soul mate yet I caught him cheating on her, I didn't know soul mates could do that to each other." She indicated to the group and sighed.

"She looks so happy but it's all fake," she continued. "She knows but pretends it's not happening. Maybe she should have an affair and teach him how it feels." Francis looked over at the group and recognised the young woman with the two men. He had been giving her the eye and lightly flirting with her but she was rebuffing his advances. Perhaps he should push a little harder if her marriage was rocky and cheer her up.

Natalya saw the gleam in the Frenchman's eyes and knew all she had to do know was sit back and watch the fireworks and, when everyone was distracted, slip away.

Yao would be dead by nightfall!

* * *

Katyusha decided to leave the boys to it and sit near to Natalya whom she had seen nearby and pretended she had only just spotted her, sitting next to the French flirt who had been plaguing her for the past few days.

"Hello, Natalya," she greeted, innocently. "Is everything all right this evening?"

"Might be," Natalya replied with an enigmatic smile. The Frenchman looked at Katyusha over Natalya's head.

"Bonjour, chérie," he purred. Great! This was all Katyusha needed and she did her best to ignored the touchy-feely Frenchman but, for some reason, he was persistent.

"Why not sit here, mon cher, next to me," he offered. "I can make your evening very pleasant."

"My evening is pleasant enough, thank you," she replied. "I just want to sit and talk to my sister, if you don't mind."

"Ah, but to spend the evening with two lovely ladies is my idea of heaven. Why not indulge me? You don't have to pretend any more, Belle Dame (_Beautiful Lady_), I know and I can make everything better for you."

"...?" The Frenchman left his seat and came in close, _too close_, to Katyusha.

"Maybe give your soul mate a taste of his own medicine, hmm?" The Frenchman took Katyusha's hand in his and Katyusha tried to pull it from his grip.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, adamantly. "And I would like you to leave me alone, I'm a married woman!" The Frenchman simply pulled her resistant hand up to his lips and swept them across her knuckles.

"Married but not happy," he said. "Your sister told me everything. Your soul mate does not deserve you, chérie."

"Told you …. Natalya, what have you been saying?" The Frenchman took the opportunity to put his arm around Katyusha and pull her close as she resisted.

"Let me go!" she cried.

"What are you doing to my wife!"

Everybody looked round to see Eduard standing there with a thunderous expression on his face with Ivan at his shoulder who looked downright disturbing with a dark shadow over his eyes, a dark cloud that seem to spread around him and he was muttering, "Kolkolkol …..!"

Francis recognised Ivan as one of those who had gotten Gilbert off the mountain and decided that discretion was the better part of valour and ran, with Eduard and Ivan in pursuit. Katyusha stared after them and Natalya took her opportunity to leave while everyone was distracted and slipped out of the door with a smile.

* * *

Ivan was as enraged as Eduard when he found that blonde friend of the drunken German man pushing himself on to Katyusha and all was forgotten as they began chasing him through the hotel. They even chased him through the basement where Ivan ripped a pipe with a tap off the wall (thank goodness the water had been switched off down there) as they chased him back out and through reception and they cannoned out of the doors to find they had lost him. There were two red-headed men, one of whom had fallen and the other was picking him up but no sign of the blonde Frenchman.

"Where did he go?" Eduard demanded, looking around. "I'll teach him to mess with my wife!" Ivan agreed with the sentiment, whole-heartedly.

"And my sister!" he said, brandishing the pipe and ran in a direction he thought the man might have gone, not realising that he and Eduard were doing just what Natalya had wanted them to.

* * *

Li Xiao made Yao his favourite herbal tea and put some snacks on a plate for him while Yao read the book that he got for his for his last birthday. A book of Chinese legends in Braille that Ivan had found on-line and Yao loved the thought Ivan had put into the gift but then that was Ivan. Yao might never know what Ivan looked like or ever feel his heart beat but he considered himself to be lucky in his soul mate.

"Here's your tea," he heard Li Xiao say. "And some, like, nibbles for you."

"Xièxiè (_thank you_), Li Xiao," Yao replied, putting down the book and holding out his hands. Li Xiao put the tea and the plate in Yao's hands, making sure he had a firm hold of them before letting go. Yao put the snacks on the small table he knew was by his chair and then he heard a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Li Xiao said and Yao heard him walk out of the sipped the tea and listened to the footsteps come back into the room but he knew something was not right. He knew the footsteps of Li Xiao and Ivan, even knew the footsteps of Matthew, Aleks and Vladimir and these footsteps matched none of them. The female voice he then heard, he had never heard before but he knew it's owner from the words, dripping with hatred in an East European accent.

"So you're the blind man who thinks he can take my brother from me!"

Natalya was here and she knew! But Li Xiao had answered the door.

Where was Li Xiao?

**EVIL CLIFFHANGER! Yes, I know I'm evil, you should be used to that by now! XP So it was no accident that Francis ended up being chased through the hotel and can anyone remember who the two red-headed men were ;) **

**To Normandy – He doesn't go home when he's drunk, he climbs mountains, apparently! ;P Poor Neko Kiku! And we do have Danish Butter cookies in England, all year round too but they're more obvious at Christmas because of the special tins they come in! :)**

**To Guest – Yes it did and it will get realer! Gil is heading home but with Matthew, not Yao! And don't let your brain melt, at least not yet! ;)**

**What's happened to Li Xiao? What will happen to Yao? Will anyone reach them in time? This sounds like one of those old shows where they used to ask those kind of questions at the end of each episode! XD Well any way, tune in next week to find out! XD**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	26. Rescue Me : Natalya Goes Too Far!

**Things start to get hectic from now on! Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 10 : Natalya Goes too far!**_

Li Xiao opened the door and caught a glimpse of a woman with long silvery-blonde hair and violet eyes, just before her arm swung round and Li Xiao felt something hard connected with his temple, a pain radiate through his head and then blissful oblivion.

Natalya spared a look at the boy she had just pistol-whipped, sprawled out on the floor, feeling a second of remorse but she needed him out of the way while she dealt with his brother. She made her way to the living room where her rival sat, sipping tea. His head turned her way as he heard her footsteps and stared through her with his sightless eyes.

"So you're the blind man who thinks he can take my brother from me!" she sneered. The Chinese man's face frozen at the sound of her voice and she smiled. He knew who she was so he would know where vengeance was coming from.

"Where's Li Xiao?" Yao demanded.

"You should worry about yourself," Natalya mocked. "Did you think I would let you take my brother without a fight? He's mine! He always has been and you should have stayed away from him. Instead, you took him from me and twisted his behaviour. He turns from me now and pushes me away, wanting me gone from his life and it's your doing. You turned him against me and there's only one way to get him back and that's with you gone." Natalya raised the gun and Yao heard a click, a sound that he had only ever heard on TV before and knew that she had pulled back the hammer of a hand gun. Yao knew he did not stand a chance and he prayed that Li Xiao was alright and neither he or Ivan were the ones to find his body.

_Bang!_

* * *

As Eduard and Ivan ran after the groping Frenchman, Katyusha had looked round in panic, desperate for someone to help and spotted Natalya disappearing out of the door. After Bonnefoy saying that _her sister had told him everything_ she realised that Natalya must have planned this so she could get away without being seen so Katyusha decided to follow her sister, grabbing her purse on the way out.

When Katyusha got outside, Natalya was already in her car, ready to pull away and Katyusha ran for hers, taking the car keys from her purse. Natalya was driving out of the car park and Katyusha started her car and set off, hoping to keep her in sight.

Katyusha had not been to Ivan's home as yet and she had intended to but she knew the address and as she followed Natalya into the town, Katyusha had an awful feeling she knew where Natalya was going. Which meant that she knew! She knew about Yao! Then Katyusha became stuck at traffic lights as Natalya pulled away from her, out of sight and she reached for her phone, dialling Ivan's number. Using her phone while driving was not something Katyusha would normally do but this was a emergency.

"Katyusha, where are you?" Ivan replied. "We're still trying to find that pervert but you disappeared."

"Ivan, forget the Frenchman!" Katyusha told him. "It was a set up by Natalya to distract you so she could get away without being seen, I'm following her now. She's on her way to your house, house, Ivan. I think she knows about Yao!"

"I'm on my way!" Ivan said, simply and hung up. Katyusha put her phone away and the lights went to go and she headed in the direction of Ivan's home as quickly as she could.

* * *

Ivan grabbed Eduard and pulled him in a different direction to where they were going, toward the car park, toward Ivan's car.

"What are you doing, Ivan?" Eduard asked. "He'll get away!"

"He was a decoy," Ivan replied, unlocking his car. "So Natalya could get away from us. Katyusha's following her and she thinks she's on her way to my house." Eduard climbed into the passenger seat.

"But that means she knows about Yao!" he exclaimed. A dark aura fell over Ivan's eyes as he thought about what Natalya would do to Yao if she got to him.

"Da," he said, simply. Now he was convinced that the hit-and-run attempt and Aleks's accident were all Natalya.

And that meant Natalya _did_ have a gun.

* * *

When Katyusha got there, Natalya's car was outside and the front door was open with Li Xiao lying unconscious in the hallway. Katyusha checked him and was relieved to find the boy was still alive and then she heard voices from the living room.

"...turns from me now and pushes me away," she heard Natalya say. "Wanting me gone from his life and it's your doing. You turned him against me and there's only one way to get him back and that's with you gone." As she peered into the living room, she saw Natalya, cocking her gun and aiming it at the Chinese man sat in a chair and she ran forward.

* * *

Yao dropped his tea as the gun went off, expecting to feel the pain of the bullet entering his body, instead felt the wind of it, whizzing past his ear and then he could hear the sound of a struggle.

"NATALYA, STOP!" Katyusha screamed as she and her sister struggled with the gun. She had managed to spoil Natalya's aim enough so the bullet just missed Yao and now Katyusha was trying to pry the gun from Natalya's grip so she could not try again.

Yao heard the unfamiliar voice and was relieved that there was someone trying to stop Natalya but he did not know what to do to help. He did not dare move, in case he collided with the combatants and hindered his rescuer and he still did not know where Li Xiao was.

Natalya and Katyusha continued to fight for possession of the gun and Katyusha had never seen her sister so murderous, that she really intended to kill Yao if she got the gun so she had to keep it out of Natalya's hands at all costs.

"Give it up, Natalya," she gasped as she tried to twist the weapon from Natalya's grip. "Ivan's on his way and he'll never forgive you if you harm Yao."

"Ivan will come to his senses when that _thing_ is dead!" she replied with an insane hiss. "He has Ivan under some kind of spell and I will free him from it. And then we'll finally be one!" Katyusha realised that her sister had finally lost it and renewed her efforts to get the gun away from her.

Out in the hallway, Li Xiao began to regain consciousness, wincing against the pain in his head and he made the mistake of touching it, making the pain worse. Then the sounds of the struggles reached his ears and he struggled to his feet.

Katyusha and Natalya crashed into furniture in their struggle for possession of the weapon and Natalya got a firm hold on the gun and tighten her grip. With one finger on the trigger.

_Bang!_

Li Xiao reached the living room just in time to see Katyusha stagger backwards, the white top she was wearing turning crimson from the bullet wound in her left shoulder. She hit the wall and slid down it, leaving a blood stain, pain radiating from the entry wound and she looked up at Natalya who looked shocked at what she had done. Then Natalya turned hated-filled eyes on Yao.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" she screamed and turned the gun back toward the helpless Yao and Katyusha was powerless to stop her but then, suddenly, the boy from the hallway dove at Natalya taking her to the floor. He grabbed the hand holding the gun and began slamming it against the floor. After the fourth slam, Natalya lost her grip on the gun and it fell from her grasp. Li Xiao kicked the gun away as Natalya began to struggle to get Li Xiao off her. With one last burst of energy, she managed to throw Li Xiao to one side and scrambled to her feet. She would have to get out of here now. Ivan would be coming and, while he was under Yao's spell, his wrath would be great.

Li Xiao touched the side of his head again, once again regretting it and scrambled over to Katyusha, pulling out his handkerchief and making it into a pad to put it over the bullet wound to stem the flow of blood.

"Yao," he called over to his brother. "Are you, like, okay?" Yao have never been so relieved to hear his younger brother's voice and he held out his hand to him. Li Xiao took it and pulled Yao toward him. He guided his brother's hand to the pad over Katyusha's injury and put it over the cloth.

"Hold that there while I, like, call an ambulance," he said. "She been shot!" Yao did not need telling that as he could feel wet stickiness cover his fingers as blood leak through the handkerchief.

"Who is she?" Yao asked as Li Xiao typed 911 into his phone. He had heard her voice and could smell a subtle perfume, none of which he recognised.

"Don't know," Li Xiao replied. "But she was helping so I, like, think it might be Ivan's other sister ….. Hello! We need an ambulance and the police …..." Li Xiao became occupied with giving details to the operator while Yao comforted the injured woman in his arms.

"Help is on its way," he said as Katyusha groaned with pain. "Are you Ivan's sister, Katyusha?"

"Tak, (_Yes_)," she gasped. "Ivan is coming, I called him on the way here when I realised that this was where Natalya was heading. She must have known about you all along!"

"Don't try to talk, Mèimei (_Sister_)," Yao replied when she gasped in pain. "The ambulance will be here soon." He looked toward the sounds of footsteps in the hallway and Ivan and Eduard came into the living room.

"KATYUSHA!" Eduard gasped, his heart stalling when his saw his wife, clutched in Yao's arms as he held a blood-covered handkerchief to her shoulder. He took one of her hands and squeezed it tight while Ivan went to the other side of Katyusha and put his arm around both her and Yao.

"What happened?" he asked Yao, gently.

"Li Xiao went to answer the door," Yao explained while Ivan turned to look at Li Xiao who was still on his phone and looking out of the window. "I heard footsteps but I knew it wasn't Li Xiao coming back. Then Natalya was there, accusing me of stealing you and turning you against her. There was a gun shot and I could hear two people struggling and there was another gunshot and Natalya saying it was my fault. Then there was more struggling."

"That was me," Li Xiao said from the window. "Natalya knocked me out at the door and I, like, came round as Katyusha was shot and I, like, disarmed Natalya but she got away. I'm sorry." He looked out of the window again. "The ambulance and, like, the police are here."

The police came in first, making sure the area was secure and then the paramedics were allowed in to help Katyusha. Despite Yao's insistence that he had not been hurt, he, Katyusha and Li Xiao were taken to hospital to be be check over or, in Katyusha's case, surgery while Eduard followed in a taxi, leaving Ivan to give a long explanation to the police.

* * *

Sergei had finally made it to Canada, getting off the plane at Calgary and hiring a rental vehicle to drive to Banff. He called General Arlovsky to tell him he was there and the Dmitri told him to call when he was in contact with Ivan to let him know what was going on.

Sergei began the one and a half hour journey to Banff.

* * *

Ivan could not be angry at Li Xiao for getting the police involved in their situation because if Li Xiao had not called them, the hospital would have but it left him with a lot of explaining to do.

"So you came here to escape your younger sister who has an inappropriate obsession with you," the officer summed up. "And she followed you and managed to get herself hired on the same rescue team as yourself and you believe that she might have been the one who drove Aleksander Dragov off the road."

"Da," Ivan replied. He hated to wash his family's dirty linen in public but he had no choice now. Katyusha's shooting had forced everything out into the open. "She may have been the one behind the hit-and-run attempt on my soul mate, Yao Wang."

"You said nothing at the time!"

"At the time, it was believed that my sister was in Norway," Ivan replied. "So I did not think that she could have had anything to do with it. Now it may be that she left Norway sooner than we thought and she has harmed friends of mine before and almost killed one."

"Why didn't you have her arrested in Moscow then?" the officer asked.

"No proof," Ivan replied. "And she is my sister. My father tried to keep her under control but she just got worse. I knew that when I found my soul mate, I would have to hide them so when I found Yao, we went to Alaska where I was born and there I had my name legally changed from Arlovsky to Braginski then applied for a Canadian work visa when I got the job on the rescue team. I never thought that Natalya would find us."

"So she's still a threat to Yao Wang?" Ivan sighed.

"Da," he replied. "But now I know that Natalya knows about him, I plan to send Yao and Li Xiao to China until Natalya has been caught and put where she can't harm us again.

"In the meantime," the officer replied. "I'll tell my colleague at the hospital now to stay close to your fiancé and his brother."

"That would be most appreciated," Ivan replied.

* * *

Yao and Li Xiao had been examined and released by the hospital and they waited with Eduard while Katyusha was still in surgery. They were soon joined by a police officer who told them he would stay with them until Natalya Arlovskaya was apprehended.

"This was not how I want to meet you or Katyusha," Yao told Eduard. "I'm sorry! She was hurt helping me." Eduard was glad the Chinese man could not see the worry on his face.

"You're not the insane one," he replied. "You're not to blame for this, this is all Natalya, not you!"

"If I had not met Ivan …."

"You're his soul mate," Eduard stated. "You were destined to meet him. It's not your fault that Natalya couldn't except that."

"Eduard's right, Yao," Li Xiao agreed. "This is, like, Psycho Bitch's fault, not yours. The sooner she's caught and stuffed into, like, a padded cell, the better!"

"As much as I hate to agree," Ivan replied as he came through the door. "Li Xiao is right. Natalya might be my sister but she has gone too far now."

"I'm not sure she, like, meant to shoot Katyusha," Li Xiao admitted. "She look, like, shocked that she'd done it. It may have been, like, an accident."

"Does not matter," Ivan said. "Her obsession has grown to the point that she endangers all around her, even family. She must be stopped for everyone's safety and I have to see to yours and Yao's. I've booked short flights to Calgary for both of you and from there, you'll be flying back to your family in China. You leave tomorrow."

"You want us to leave!" Yao exclaimed in shock.

"Just until Natalya is neutralised as a threat," Ivan replied, sitting beside Yao and wrapping his arms around him. "I want the two of you safe, especially you, Podsolnukh. As soon as Natalya as been caught, I'll come for you both, I promise!"

"I don't want to go," Yao said. Ivan kissed his forehead.

"I don't want you to go either," he replied. "But I preferred you gone to dead. Please indulge me, Yao. I could not stand it if anything were to happen to you!"

"As soon as Katyusha is well enough to travel," Eduard said. "I'll be taking her home. I don't want her in the line of fire any more." Ivan nodded. If he and Yao were in the same position as Eduard and Katyusha, he would do the same.

"I understand," he replied. The door opened and a doctor came in.

"Are you Katyusha Von Block's family?" he asked. Eduard stepped forward.

"I'm her husband," he said. "This is her brother and his family."

"The surgery went well," the doctor reassured them. "Fortunately, the bullet didn't hit anything vital and, barring any complications, she should make a full recovery although she won't be able to use her arm for a while, of course."

"Can we see her?" Eduard asked.

"For a moment," the doctor replied. "She's not conscious yet and she'll be a little drowsy when she comes to so try not to disturb her too much, she needs her rest." The doctor took them to the recovery room but on their way there, they ran into Vlad.

Vlad was visiting Aleks when he came face to face with Ivan and Li Xiao and another man he was not familiar with and he was a little embarrassed at abandoning a friend in time of need so he was a little sheepish now.

"Hello, Vlad," Ivan greeted and Yao looked toward the sound of Ivan's voice.

"Vlad?"

"Hello, Ivan," Vlad replied. "Yao. What brings you here?"

"My sister, Katyusha is here," Ivan replied. "She just came out of surgery."

"I'm sorry," Vlad gave his condolences. "Listen, can I talk to you and Yao? It won't take a moment." Ivan looked at Eduard.

"We'll follow in a moment," he told him. Eduard nodded and followed the doctor.

"How is Aleks?" Yao asked Vlad. "We heard he had woken up."

"He's improving," Vlad replied. "Still can't remember much about the accident but the doctors are allowing him out of bed now."

"I am pleased to hear that," Ivan said.

"I wanted to say sorry," Vlad told them. "After what happened to Aleks, I shut you out and that wasn't fair. Natalya made your lives hell and I added to it but I was afraid for Aleks and ….." Ivan stopped him there.

"You made the right decision," he said. "Katyusha needed surgery because Natalya shot her when she stopped her from shooting Yao. I do not blame you for protecting your soul mate and yourself but Natalya has gone too far now. The police are looking for her so she should be found soon and put where she can hurt no one else. May we visit Aleks after we've seen Katyusha?"

"Aleks would love to see you," Vlad agreed. "He's been asking about you, I'll telling you'll be coming by."

"Spasibo (_Thank you_)," Ivan said.

* * *

Sergei drove into Banff and looked for a hotel because he had the feeling that he would be there for a while and found one close to Ivan's address. As he put his over-night bag on the bed in his room, he switched on the TV, finding the news channel and began to unpack.

"_...to be on the lookout for this woman,_" the anchorwoman announced and Sergei looked at the TV to see a picture of Natalya. _"She is wanted in connection with an attempted hit and run and attempted murder. The police advise that you do not approach her and call them as she is considered to be extremely dangerous._"

Sergei had a feeling things had escalated while he had been trying to get to Canada and General Arlovsky was not going to be happy that Natalya's little obsession had gone public in such a extreme way. Attempted murder! Just what had been happening here?

He needed to find Ivan.

* * *

Natalya was keeping out of sight. She had already seen the report and knew that everyone would be looking for her so she had to find a way to make herself unfindable. And she had an idea but it meant a sacrifice.

She found an out-of-the-way motel that seemed to lack television and stood in front of a mirror in one of the rooms with a pair of scissors. She took a lock of her hair and began cutting. She entered the motel room as Natalya and, after an hour of hair cutting, breast binding and donning stolen male clothes, she left the room as Nikolai, a young man from Moscow.

She came back into town with no one giving her a second look and she went to Ivan's home. The police had departed and there was no one home so she broke in and began looking around. She scowled at the bedroom that was clearly occupied by both Ivan and Yao. Li Xiao's room was a typical untidy teenager's room that Natalya had no interest in. Then she went to the living room.

She gave the wall, which still sported the blood stain from where Katyusha had slid down, a guilty look. She had not meant to shoot Katyusha, had been horrified when it happened and she blamed Yao. It all went back to Yao!

She spotted Ivan's laptop on a nearby table and opened it up. When she researched his history, she came across a short flight booking to Calgary with Yao and Li Xiao listed on the tickets. So Ivan was sending them away from Banff. Natalya made a note of the airstrip the flight was taking off from and smiled.

She would rid Ivan of Yao and this time, no one could stop her!

**Now Natalya has gone off the deep end and she has something worse planned. There's a clue in _Till I see you again pt 6_ and we're almost full circle.**

**To Rebecca Frost – Yes, she is! D:**

**To Normandy – If you don't like what Natalya's done up to now, you're going to hate what she does next DX You let _Oliver_ look Kiku over! (shudders) I eat those cookies mostly at Christmas anyway. Just seems like a Christmas thing :)**

**I have a surprise planned for next week, although some might have guessed already but we'll see. There's also something bad. Natalya! Say no more!**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	27. Rescue Me : Sabotage!

**Back again! Better late than never! Here we go, enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 11 : Sabotage!**_

Katyusha was still a little drowsy when she woke, like the doctor said she would be but she was cognizant enough to ask about Yao and Li Xiao.

"They're both fine," Ivan reassured her. "Thanks to you, Bol'shaya Sestra (_Big Sister_). Yao was unharmed and Li Xiao just got a bump on the head which the doctors have treated. We're more worried about you!"

"I don't think she meant to shoot me," Katyusha tiredly said. "I think the gun went off by accident." Ivan shook his head.

"She still brought a gun into my house with the intention of causing harm," he replied. "And I believe she _did_ use that gun to shoot out Aleks's tyre and forced him off the road. She could have killed him _and _you and she did intend to kill Yao. We can't make excuses for her, Katyusha! She's dangerous and must be stopped."

"I have to agree, Kullake, (_Sweetheart_)" Eduard concurred, holding Katyusha's hand. "Natalya's crossed the line now."

"She crossed the line when she almost killed Saskia," Ivan pointed out. "Had I known at the time and could prove it, she could have been stopped in Moscow. We must face it, Katyusha! Natalya must be put away for everyone's safety." Katyusha sighed.

"I'm too tired to think," she said in an exhausted tone.

"Then rest," Yao advised. "One of us will be here when you wake up." Katyusha gave a grateful smile and drifted back off to sleep. Yao, Ivan and Eduard sat in silence for a moment.

"So what now?" Eduard asked.

"The police are looking for Natalya," Ivan replied. "My father and his subordinate should arrive soon, we'll find her eventually but, until we do, Yao and Li Xiao are leaving for China." Ivan put his hand on Yao's shoulder. "We promised to visit Aleks before so we better do that before you need to return home and pack."

"I can, like, go home now and start while you, like, visit Aleks," Li Xiao said but Ivan was not having that.

"No!" he replied, adamantly. "While Natalya's loose, we stay together until I put you both on that plane. No arguments!" Ivan turned back to Eduard.

"We'll come back after we see Aleks for a few more moment and then we must return home," he told him. "We have much to do before tomorrow." Eduard nodded and thanked them as Ivan took Yao's arm and lead him out the door, followed by Li Xiao.

Aleks had been moved from ICU to a hospital room where he was monitored constantly, in case he developed complications but so far things were going well apart from the slight gap in his memory but Ivan did not need Aleks to remember to know what happened. He almost lost another friend to Natalya's deranged ambition and he swore it would be the last time..

When they went into the room, Aleks was reclined in bed with Vlad sat beside him, holding his hand and they both looked up as Ivan lead Yao in and guided him to a seat while Li Xiao came in and found himself a spot against the wall.

"Ivan!" Aleks greeted with a smile. "Yao! Li Xiao! You finally came to see me! What took you so long?" Ivan looked at Vlad who gave the slightest on nods. So Vlad had not told Aleks why they stayed away!

"We are sorry," Ivan apologised. "We thought that, under the circumstances, that it was best if we kept our distance. Have you been told about my sister, Natalya?" Aleks nodded.

"Vlad filled me in." he replied. "Is she really that disturbed?" Ivan sighed, sadly.

"Enough that we decided that it was best for us to stay away for your safety," he said. "She's more dangerous than ever now. Natalya tried to shoot Yao and shot my older sister instead, she not long came out of surgery."

"Is she all right?" Aleks asked with concern.

"The doctor said she'll recover," Yao replied. "Once she leaves the hospital, her husband is taking her home."

"And I'm sending Yao and Li Xiao to Calgary and on to China," Ivan said. "I can't risk their safety while Natalya's loose. Matvey is already out of the country, visiting his soul mate's family. Did you know that Matvey found his soul mate?"

"Yes," Vlad replied. "Matvey told me when I called him to tell Aleks had woken up. He also told me how he met him." Both he and Aleks gave a chuckle. Clearly Vlad had shared the story with Aleks. "I can't decided to be pleased or sorry for Matthew." Ivan gave a little chuckle himself.

"Matvey seemed happy," he replied. "Gilbert must improve on further acquaintance."

"Do HQ know about Natalya?" Aleks asked. "Without a second pilot, the helicopter will be grounded." Ivan nodded.

"I called HQ after the police left and before I came here," he replied. "Matvey's temporary replacement is already on-route and they're trying to find us a replacement pilot. In the meantime, two nearby Rescue Stations will be covering our area." Ivan was interrupted by his mobile phone ringing. It was an unfamiliar number but, with things the way they were, Ivan did not dare ignore it.

"I'll be right back," he said and left the room, looking for the nearest exit. The phone had stopped ringing by the time he found one and he found the missed call and returned it.

"Ivan Arlovsky," said a voice with a similar accent to his.

"Da," Ivan replied.

"My name is Sergei Mikhaylov," the man on the other end of the phone said. "I've been sent by General Arlovsky to assist you with your younger sister but I've seen on the TV that the problem has escalated."

"Da," Ivan told him. "Natalya tried to kill my soul mate and shot my older sister. Now Natalya's on the run. I would like your assistance in protecting my soul mate and my younger brother until tomorrow. I'm putting them on a plane to Calgary and, from there they'll be travelling to China. Once Natalya is dealt with once and for all, I will retrieve them. Is that plan agreeable to you?"

"Da," Sergei replied.

"We will be returning home soon to pack so I will meet you there," Ivan said. "Do you have my address?"

"Da," the sound of paper rustling could be heard over the phone. "The General gave it to me so I'll meet you there. Your father should be able to come in a couple of days so, hopefully, we'll have caught Natalya by then.

"I hope so too," Ivan replied. "Uvidimsya. (_See you later_)."

"Proshchay (_Goodbye_)," Sergei replied and ended the call. Ivan put his phone back into his pocket and went back into the hospital.

* * *

Natalya looked over the airport that Yao and Li Xiao would be leaving from the next day. A airport that light aircraft and small passenger plane landed and departed from. It should not be too much trouble to get in without being seen and, if disguised as an employee, she could wait for an opportunity.

And strike!

* * *

Ivan collected Yao and Li Xiao from Aleks's room and to say goodbye then revisited Katyusha and Eduard to take their leave of them. The hospital would release Katyusha in a couple of days and Eduard was already making plans for them to go home.

When Ivan and the others arrived home, there was a black-haired, purple-eyed man standing outside and Ivan immediately knew that this was his father's subordinate as he helped Yao out of the car.

"Sergei Mikhaylov?" he asked and the black-haired man nodded, holding out his hand for Ivan to shake.

"Da," Sergei replied. "My apologies for not being here sooner. I would have been, had it not been for Eyjaf... Eyjafja... that volcano in Iceland. I have made enquiries but there has been no sign of Natalya since the attack on your soul mate so maybe she's left the area to avoid being captured."

"That would be nice," Ivan sighed. "But I don't think so. Natalya's obsession overrules her logic so, while running and hiding might be the wise choice, I doubt that's what she'll do! She's chased me almost halfway around the world, she won't give up now." Sergei sighed himself as he suspected that Ivan was right.

"Let us have this conversation inside," Yao suggested, not wanting to stay out in the open much longer. He tried to keep it from Ivan but Natalya being out there, free and able to hit them when they least expected it terrified him. Those moments when Natalya attacked and he did not know what had happened to Li Xiao were the worst moments of his life and he did not want a repeat.

"Da," Ivan agreed and the group went into the house.

"I should introduce you," Ivan said when they were safe indoors. "This is my soul mate, Yao Wang and his younger brother, Li Xiao. Yao, Li Xiao, this is Sergei Mikhaylov. My father sent him to assist us."

"You going to, like, find Psycho Bitch and stick her a mental ward?" Li Xiao asked. Psycho Bitch! Sergei liked that.

"That will probably be her destination when we find her," he confirmed. "We can't allowed her to wander about harming people. She needs professional help."

"Just so long as she stays away from me," Li Xiao muttered. "I'm going to, like, pack." And he went to the obstacle course he called his room.

"I better pack too," Yao said and walked out of the room.

"Can he pack when he's blind?" Sergei asked, wondering how.

"Oh da!" Ivan replied. "He can tell by touch what is silk or cotton or other types of material and he knows which clothes are made of what and when Li Xiao is done he will help Yao to make sure he hasn't forgotten anything. He is quite capable, you know." Sergei was impressed.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Sergei asked.

"We stay close to them both until they're in the air," Ivan replied. "Li Xiao has the arrangements for the flight to China. Once they're safely away, we go hunting for Natalya!"

* * *

Sergei was invited to dinner and to stay the night in the guest room which Ivan encouraged him to do so he could be on hand to guard Yao and Li Xiao. Sergei was further impressed by Yao when he realised that Yao had made dinner and vowed not to underestimate the Chinese man, blindness or no blindness!

Sergei called General Arlovsky to report Natalya's latest transgression and the fact that she was now on the run from the Canadian police. Dmitri was furious at his youngest child and concerned about his stepdaughter but Sergei reassured him that Katyusha's injuries were not life-threatening. Dmitri just called that luck. Natalya could have hit Katyusha's heart and she intended to kill someone. He had one last meeting and he would be on the next plane to Calgary.

Yao and Li Xiao retired to bed while Sergei and Ivan discussed the next day. There would always be one of them with Yao and Li Xiao at all times until they were on the plane and they would stand guard until the plane took off, to make sure no one tried to stowaway on it. Only when the plane was off the ground would Ivan relax somewhat.

Tactics discussed, Ivan and Sergei retired to bed, ready for the next day.

* * *

Natalya was up at dawn and out at the airstrip, waiting for people to turn up for work. Still dressed as a male, she waited until there were enough people for her to blend in, once she stole an airport jumpsuit. She still keep out of sight as much as possible and kept at a distance when she could not and waited for her target to arrive.

Then it arrived, a small passenger jet plane that Natalya knew was the plane Ivan hoped would take Yao beyond her reach. A vain hope as she would never leave her brother in that _heart thief's_ clutches and she would do anything to free him. Anything!

The jet landed and taxied around and, after allowing its passengers to disembark, the pilots and cabin steward went for a rest before the return flight to Calgary while the plane was refuelled. Natalya could not make her move yet. Yao and Ivan were not here yet and she had to wait until the plane had been given the once over.

* * *

Everyone had woken up early and had breakfast. Then there was the usual mad manic to make sure the passports were in the carry-on and that they had everything before they all piled into the car and began their journey to the airport with Ivan driving, Sergei in the passenger seat and Yao and Li Xiao in the back.

They pulled into the airport car park and Sergei stood guard as Ivan took Yao and Li Xiao's luggage from the trunk and then he helped Yao out of the car. Li Xiao got out and picked up his own suitcase and they went into the airport building with Ivan leading Yao and Sergei flanking Li Xiao. They sat with the other passengers waiting for the go-head to board the plane.

"I wish I didn't have to go," Yao said.

"Yeah!" Li Xiao agreed. "This, like, sucks!" Ivan hugged Yao.

"It won't be for long, Podsolnuhk," Ivan promised. "Then I promised we'll never be separated again." And he lightly pecked Yao on the lips.

"Yuck!" Li Xiao retorted. "Do you have to do that? I still have to get on the plane and flying, like, makes me queasy."

"Less lip, Mladshiy Brat," Ivan warned. "How long before they allow boarding?"

* * *

Natalya watched as the pilots went around the plane, checking things out and making sure everything was as it should be and went to get the fuel and weight figures to check. With the plane left alone, Natalya took her opportunity, opened the hatch to the engine and began to loosen a certain connection.

She closed the hatch again and left, secure in the knowledge that, soon, Yao would be out of there lives for good. She went on to the plane to deal with one last detail and then she made herself scarce. She would just hang around long enough to make sure Yao got on that plane.

* * *

"Will passengers for the flight to Calgary please make your way to the Departure Gate," came the announcement over the PA and people began standing up and collecting their belongings. Ivan picked up Yao's bag and took Yao's arm to lead him out to the plane, Li Xiao followed and Sergei brought up the rear. Together they went through departure desk and went out to the plane.

""I'll be coming for you before you know it, Podsolnuhk," Ivan said, kissing his cheek. "Then we'll be together forever." Yao put his arms around Ivan and hugged him tight.

"Don't take too long!" he said and Ivan gave him a firm kiss on the lips.

"Let's go," Li Xiao muttered. "Because if you two, like, keep at it, this plane will never, like, get off the ground." He took Yao's arm and lead him up the stairs to the plane.

"I'll be with you soon, Yao," Ivan called. Yao turned back toward the sound of his voice.

"Promise?" Yao's voice wavered.

"Always, Podsolnuhk," he replied. Yao gave a smile before he was pulled into the plane and out of sight. Ivan and Sergei moved back to the airport building and the plane prepared for take off. It moved to the end of the runway, ready to take to the air.

"Banff Tower, this is Calgary flight 236 requesting permission to take off," the pilot said into his head piece. The co-pilot checked the weather forecast.

"Clear skies ahead," he commented. "Looks like we'll have a smooth flight ahead."

"Calgary Flight 236, this is Banff Tower," the air traffic controller replied. "Permission to take off granted."

The pilot revved up the engine and the jet began to roll down the track. Yao could feel the runway rumbling under the wheels and he instinctively reached for his brother's hand. Li Xiao took hold of Yao's hand and gave it a squeeze as the jet lifted in to the air and they left Natalya and her threats far behind.

* * *

As the jet ran down the runway, the loosened fuel line to the engine rattled and loosened further. Fuel was already leaking through as it held as the plane rose into the air but it was just hanging on.

On the ground, Natalya took out a remote control and press the button on it. In the internal workings of the radio, an increase of electrical current shorted out a circuit board in the radio and from that point on, the radio was dead.

* * *

Ivan and Sergei watched the plane go higher and further away, the distance making Ivan's heart ache the greater it began but at least Yao and Li Xiao were safe now. Sergei sighed with relief.

"Now that they're free and clear," he commented. "We can get on with the hard work, finding and catching Natalya." Then something caught his eye. There was an airport employee stood by the far end of the building, a young man with short silver, blonde hair but there was something about him. Sergei was drawn to his body, not in a perverted way but, more like he had seen the movements and mannerisms before. Then an awful thought hit him as he recognised the movements that he spend many hours observing.

"NATALYA!" he shouted and the employee instinctively turned toward him and Ivan looked in the direction Sergei was shouting in. Then he saw her, short hair and dressed like an man but it was Natalya's face.

Natalya took off and Ivan and Sergei followed in pursuit as they chased her. Sergei was faster than both Ivan and Natalya and he began to gain on her, his longer legs eating up the distance and sooner he was almost right on top of her.

Then he dove and grabbed Natalya by the waist and took her down to the ground. She tried to scramble away but Sergei grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. She fell back to the ground and Sergei turned her over and pinned her hands to the ground and looked her in the eyes, purple clashing violet.

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump!_

Both of them froze for a moment and then Natalya screamed in denial.

"NO!" she shrieked. "NO! YOU CAN'T BE MY SOUL MATE!" Sergei summed up his feelings in one Russian word.

"Der'mo! (_Shit!_)," he swore. His soul mate was this …. this …..._lunatic!_ He stood up, grasping her wrists and pulling her up with him. Ivan caught up with them.

"What are you doing here, Natalya?" he demanded. Natalya turned toward him.

"Freeing you, Big Brother," she replied. "Soon you'll be free from Yao's influence and we can become one." She turned back to Sergei. "No matter what!" she hissed.

"I'm not thrilled to have you for a soul mate either," Sergei replied, tersely. "You think I want my soul mate to be some incestuous mad woman."

"Your soul mate?" Ivan asked. The expression on Sergei's face was resigned.

"My heart is beating," he sighed. "So is hers and neither of us is happy about it."

"We'll sort that out later," Ivan replied. "What do you mean, you were freeing me?" Natalya just smiled and both Ivan and Sergei looked toward the direction the plane had taken.

"She's sabotaged the plane!" Sergei concluded. "We have to warn them!" They dragged Natalya back to the airport and went to the desk.

"Call the police!" Ivan ordered to the woman behind the departure desk. "And warned the tower! We think Flight Calgary 236 has been sabotaged. You must bring it back now." The woman looked a little sceptical but did not object and called the tower before calling the police to tell them of the suspected sabotage.

In the tower, the air traffic controller took the call, debated whether or not to take the report seriously for a moment and decided to err on the side of caution.

"Flight 236, this is Banff Tower, please respond!" Silence met his ears.

"Flight 236, can you hear me, please respond!" Still nothing. The air traffic controller began to realise that the sabotage was not a joke.

"Flight 236, can you hear?"

* * *

The pilots were at their target height and levelled out. The co-pilot decided to check in with the air traffic controller.

"Banff Tower," he spoke into his microphone. "This is Calgary Flight 236. We've levelled out at 3500 feet, do you copy?" There was no reply and the co-pilot frowned.

"Banff Tower, do you read me?" The air ways were silent.

"I'm getting nothing from the tower," he told the pilot.

"Keep trying," the pilot said. "And warn the passengers that we have some turbulence ahead."

* * *

"Ladies and Gentleman, this is your co-pilot speaking," came the voice over the speaker system. "Just to warn you that we have some turbulence ahead of us so we will experience some disturbance in flight so don't worry, we'll be through it quite quickly."

Li Xiao held Yao's hand reassuringly and Yao returned the grip but he wished Ivan was with him.

* * *

As the turbulence made the plane shake, the fuel line came away from the engine. Suddenly starved of fuel, the engines lost power immediately and, within less than a minute, the jet turned into a metal glider.

* * *

In the cockpit, the pilots were suddenly thrown into confusion when their engine suddenly died and they began to go through the check list to try and get their engines back, not knowing that it was not possible and the plane began to fall out of the sky.

Yao felt the change. He had been feeling the vibration of the engines since the beginning of the journey and he felt the moment when the vibrating stopped. He squeezed his brother's hand tightly. And

"Like, what's wrong?" Li Xiao asked.

"The engines has stopped."

* * *

"Flight 236, please respond!" the air traffic controller was still trying to reach the plane and he was staring at the radar. Flight 236 was losing height fast. 3000 feet... 2800 feet... "Flight 236, please, can you hear me?"...2300 feet ….It continued to drop until...

Flight 236 disappeared off the radar.

**NO! YAO! LI XIAO! They've finally caught Natalya but are they too late? DDDX**

**To Normandy – Well, it's nice to know someone can keep Oliver under control! ;P Be careful not to leave your éclair mixture unattended, you don't know what might end up in it! XD**

**We come right back to the beginning next week! Will Yao survive or will Natalya succeed? Wait for next week!**

**Hasta la Pasta!**

**Please excuse any grammatical errors! It's 12.10 am here in Britain and I'm whacked! I'll check and adjust when I'm a little less comatose! (zzzz)**


	28. Rescue Me : Crash

**Next chapter, guys! Here you go, enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 12 : Crash**_

_Earlier …._

_Mayday! Mayday! Declaring an emergency! Lost power to both engines! Please respond! _ Yao could not hear the co-pilot's desperate emergency but he could feel what was going on in the passenger section. He wished he had not told Li Xiao that the engines had stopped because he could now feel his younger brother's tension which he was trying to keep hidden for Yao's sake but the other four passengers had noticed the lack of vibration from the engines and were beginning to become concerned as Yao heard a male voice call over the only stewardess of the twelve seater plane to ask her what was going on. He could hear the stewardess reply, very politely, that everything was fine and not to worry but Yao's finely-tuned ears could pick up the faint hint of tension in her tone and knew that she really did not think that everything was 'fine'.

Yao felt Li Xiao squeeze his hand, revealing his worried state and Yao squeezed back in comfort, deciding not to add to his brother's stress by telling him that Yao could now smell something that smelt suspiciously like fuel that seemed to be coming from the floor. Yao was no expert on planes but if there was a fuel leak, it explained why the engines were not working if fuel was not getting to them.

The pilots must have some control because the plane was still flying with little problem and Yao knew that planes could still fly for a while without working engines and he had to trust the pilots to get them down safely. It was as this thought was passing through his mind when the plane began shaking as they hit more turbulence and then the plane began dropping. Li Xiao squeezed his hand tight and Yao held his breath. Then the plane levelled out again.

_'This is your Captain speaking,'_ a man's voice came over the speaker. _'We are experiencing some technical problems and have dropped to a lower height to avoid turbulence. We apologise for any disruption!'_ Once again, Yao could hear the tension. What the pilot was not saying was the turbulence had cost them airspeed and he had to drop the nose to regain it.

"Something's, like, really wrong, isn't it?" Li Xiao whispered to Yao so the other passenger's could not overhear him. He knew, while Yao could not see, his other senses compensated and were more finely-tuned than a sighted person. He could always hear in Li Xiao's voice when he was being less than truthfully, could tell every single different flower in a full bouquet, tell you each and every ingredient used in whatever meal he was eating, no matter how little used and could tell his clothes apart, just by the feel of the cloth.

Yao could not lie to his brother this time.

"Shi," he replied. "Something is very wrong."

* * *

The turbulence had cost them too much airspeed and height and the plane was not going to make it back to the airport or any other that was nearby with the turns they would have to make and the descents to remain fast enough to stay in the air so they began to look around for a place to land. Difficult to do when surrounded by mountains but the pilots knew of an area that might be big enough for them to land. They had passed over it many times and they just might have enough speed to make it there but they would have to dump the fuel to lightened the plane and reduced the risk of explosion.

Captain William Maurier picked put the microphone again to address the passengers to tell them about this new development and prepare them for an emergency landing.

"This is your captain speaking," he said, taking a deep breath. "Due to engine failure, we are forced to perform an emergency landing. Please listen to the stewardess for instructions and keep calm." The captain did a good job of keeping his voice calm but Yao knew he was tense. The stewardess ran through the 'brace for impact' procedure and Li Xiao took Yao through the steps physically so he would know what to do as he could not see what the stewardess was demonstrating.

"Oh please, I can't die," he heard a young woman's voice weep. "I haven't found my soul mate yet." He could hear the others on their phones calling loved ones to tell them what was happening and that they loved them. It was heartbreaking to hear and Yao suddenly could not stand the thought of Ivan not hearing that from him one last time.

"Li Xiao, please," he said. "Call Ivan! I have to talk to him, before we go down. Just in case!"

"We're, like, going to make it," Li Xiao replied, adamantly but took out his phone any way and called Ivan, putting his phone in Yao's hand and Yao put it to his ear and waited for Ivan to pick up.

* * *

Ivan was still waiting with Sergei, holding Natalya prisoner while they waited for the police to take her into custody when his phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was Li Xiao's number and answered it.

"Privet," he greeted.

"Ivan," Yao's voice answered.

"Podsolnuhk!" Ivan gasped. "We caught Natalya! She's done something to the plane and the tower can't get in contact. You have to tell the pilots that ….."

"It's too late!" Yao replied. "The engines have failed and we have to make an emergency landing. I think it's going to be bad." Ivan went pale and looked at Natalya who gazed smugly back.

"I had to call you," Yao continued. "Just in case. I had to tell I love you and say g..."

"Don't you dare say goodbye!" Ivan practically shouted down the phone. "You're not going to die! You or Li Xiao. I will not lose either of you, not to Natalya's insanity! Promise me that you won't die!" A sob came down the phone.

"I can't!" Yao wept. "I can't make a promise I might not be able to keep. I can only promise to try to live and come back to you. Ivan, the most wonderful moment in my life was when I felt your heart beat and my one regret is that mine never beat for you!"

"I don't care about that!" Ivan replied as two police officiers arrived to take charge of Natalya. "You are my Podsolnuhk! Beating heart or not, you belong here with me and this is where you'll stay. Promise me!"

"I'll always be be your side, wǒ shǎle éguó xióng _(my silly Russian bear)_," Yao replied. "Always, no matter what happens! I have to go now! The stewardess wants us all to turn the phones off because we're getting ready to land."

"Yao!"

"I love you, Ivan!" The phone went dead.

"YAO!" There was no answer and Ivan just stared at his phone as he were trying to find a way to reach through it and pull Yao and Li Xiao to safety. Which, of course, was impossible.

"You'll soon be free, Big Brother," Natalya said in the handcuffs that the police had placed her in. She did not hear the faint 'kolkolkol' that was rumbling in Ivan's throat, a sure sign that he was enraged. "That heart thief will be gone and you can lead the life you were always meant t …..." The kolkolkol got louder and Ivan's hand lashed out and grabbed Natalya by the throat. The police officers aimed their guns at Ivan.

"Please let go, sir," they demanded but Ivan directed his reply to Natalya who was gasping for air.

"Sister or not, if Yao dies," he said, a dark oppressive mood coming off him like a cloud. "If any of those people on that plane die, I won't kill you but you'll wish I had. You've endangered your last innocent, Natalya! Even Father won't help you this time!" He let her go and she staggered back into the grip of the police, sucking in much needed oxygen.

"Get her out of my sight!" Ivan snapped and turned his back on her. She called out to him as she was dragged away and Ivan turned to Sergei.

"You have my sympathy, mon drug," he said. As far as Ivan was concerned, Natalya was no longer his sister and Sergei wondered what his life would be now that he was soul mate to a lunatic who would probably kill him rather than accept him. Ivan went back to the desk and the woman behind it who had been watching it all.

"Any more news about Flight 236?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, sir," she replied. "I'll call you when we have more news." Ivan closed his eyes in despair but told himself he must not lose hope. Yao would survive this.

He had to!

* * *

Yao had desperately wanted to give Ivan the promise he so desired but Yao did not want his last words to his soul mate to be a lie. He wanted to live and grow old with Ivan but it was out of his hands and up to Fate now. He prayed that fate would be kind.

The open area that the pilots were heading for came into view and they had just enough airspeed left to reach it and began procedure for landing while the stewardess addressed the passengers.

"We're coming in for a landing," she warned. "So please assume emergency positions." Everyone placed their hands on the back of their heads and curled forward, bracing their heads against the seat in front while the stewardess got into the crew jump seat and sat back straight against it. As Yao put his head against the seat in front of him, his right hand covered his left and he ran his fingers over the jade engagement ring on the third finger of his left hand and wondered if there would ever be a wedding ring to join it as the plane began to near the ground.

* * *

Captain Maurier looked over at his co-pilot, Jack Gagnon who looked back then they turned back to the task at hand as a wide clearing of snow came into view ahead of them. They only had one chance at this and the passengers were depending on them to get them down alive.

The ground got closer and the Ground Proximity Warning began to sound. T_errain! Pull up! Terrain! Pull up!_ The warning was ignored as the plane got closer to the ground. A hundred feet ….. ninety feet ….. eighty feet. The altimeter turned as the plane got closer and closer to the ground. Fifty feet …. forty feet ….. thirty feet. Maurier griped the controls as the altimeter went to twenty feet ….. ten feet.

_TERRAIN! PULL UP!_

Impact!

* * *

The plane rocked as it hit the ground as everyone was jolted in their seats and there was the sound of crashing metal as the wings tore away from the body of the plane. Yao was thrown away from the seat in front of him and then he fell back against it. He heard Li Xiao cry out in shock beside him and the female passenger scream in fear. There were shouts from the other male passengers while the plane shook as it continued on through the snow, the tail breaking off as the structure failed under the stress of the crash. Then Yao heard something breaking above him and he instinctively reached out for Li Xiao and pulled himself over him. There was a brief second of blind pain as something struck him in his left temple then he sank into blessed oblivion.

* * *

Ivan paced as he waited for news of Yao's plane. The woman at the desk had looked up a few times at the agitated Russian and his companion who did his best to try and calm him down.

Then the phone rang and she answered it. Ivan turned to stare at her as she spoke on the phone and she looked up at him, giving Ivan a bad feeling as she put the phone down and came over to him.

"Da?" he asked and she took a deep breath.

"Flight 236 just vanished off the radar," she replied. "Search teams are being contacted as we speak to find them but we don't know what their condition is yet. I'm sorry!" She went back to her desk to call the police so they could find and contact the next of kin of the other passengers and crew. Sergei put his hand on Ivan shoulder in comfort.

"They could have landed intact, Ivan," he said. "Don't give up hope just yet. They could be safe and waiting for rescue." Ivan looked up at him.

"You work for my father, da?" he asked. "Do you have a pilot's licence? Flown helicopters?"

"Da," Sergei replied, wary.

"Then we're taking the helicopter up," Ivan said, grabbing Sergei's wrist and pulling him toward the door. "We're going to look for them." And he pulled Sergei out into the snow.

"Ivan, I'm not a member of the crew," Sergei protested. "They may not allow it and your new temporary member isn't here yet."

"I don't care," Ivan replied. "I'm going to look for my soul mate and you're going to help me." He almost threw Sergei into the car. Sergei saw the determination in Ivan's eyes and stopped protesting. He could only hope that Ivan calmed down and saw sense by the time they reached the Rescue Station.

Vain hope!

* * *

Li Xiao took a moment to realize that the plane had stopped rocking and he could hear groaning. He could feel a stinging pain in his cheek and his arm hurt badly. He tried to move but there was something on top of him and he looked round to his brother's body draped over him.

"Yao," he said. "Are you, like, okay?" He got no answer.

"Yao?" Li Xiao pushed his brother off with his good arm, just enough to see his face. Yao was unconscious, pale and blood was steaming down the left side of his head and, for one horrible moment, Li Xiao thought Yao was dead but then he saw his brother's chest rising and falling and he sighed with relief but Yao needed help. He climbed out of his seat and tried to lift Yao from his seat but with only one uninjured arm, he was incapable of carrying Yao's weight but there was no way he could leave his brother.

He felt someone grabbed his shoulder and turned to see one of the other male passengers looking at him. He had bumps and scrapes but it looked like he had escaped relatively unscathed.

"You need to get out, kid," he advised. "The plane could still explode so you need to leave."

"I can't, like, leave my brother!" Li Xiao declared. The man looked at the unconscious Yao as if debating whether or not Yao was still alive then he reached down and pulled Yao's body into his arms and hoisted him on to his shoulder. Then he carried Yao, followed by Li Xiao through the wrecked plane and out the back where the tail was missing and out into the snow.

Outside, the other passengers were making their way as far away from the plane as they could get and, behind Li Xiao and the man carrying Yao, Gagnon was carrying Maurier out of the plane. Everyone made for the nearby tree line, looking for cover. Everyone had injuries, ranging from bumps and scrapes to broken bones but the worse injured were Yao and Captain Maurier who had been thrown against the controls as he battled to get the plane to stop. The stewardess had the foresight to grab a first-aid kit and some blankets that were on board for night time flights, knowing they would be needed for the injured. The blankets were used for Yao and Maurier and all injuries were attended to as best they could with what they had.

Now they all they could do was huddle together and wait for rescue. And pray that Yao and Maurier survived long enough to be rescued.

* * *

Ivan was still determined to take the helicopter up when they reached the Rescue Station so Sergei had another go at trying to talk Ivan out of it.

"Ivan, Your HQ won't let me fly the helicopter because they have no insurance to let me do so," he explained. "If we take that helicopter up without permission, you could get fired."

"I don't care!" Ivan declared. "All that matters is finding Yao and Li Xiao. Those other passengers need rescuing to so I'm going. I'll deal with the consequences later." He got out of the car and that was when he spotted a man looking in at the windows of the station.

"Can I help you, moy drug?" he asked. The man turned to look at Ivan. He had light brown hair and hazel eyes and was a native Canadian.

"Hello, I'm looking for Ivan Braginski," he said. "My name is Bryan Maxwell, I'm here as Matthew Williams's replacement." Ivan face lit up.

"Privet, moy drug," he beamed. "You couldn't have come at a better time." He looked through his keys and found the one to the station. "Get suited up! You can use Matvey's gear, we have a missing plane to find." They went in and Ivan directed Sergei in the direction of Aleks's locker to get kitted up while he donned his own gear and went to check the helicopter and tow it out of the hanger.

"Just so you know," Sergei decided to warn the new guy while Ivan was out of the way. "I'm a pilot but I'm not the pilot for this team. The other pilot just got arrested for sabotaging the plane that we're going to look for." Bryan stared at Sergei in shock and pointed through the door that Ivan had disappeared through.

"Why is he risking his job doing this?" he asked. Sergei sighed.

"His soul mate and future brother-in-law were on the plane!" Bryan looked through the door and back at Sergei then went back to putting on his gear.

"What was the conversation we just had?" he asked. "I don't remember it!" Sergei stared at the man who was effectively saying he was pretending he did not know about Sergei and soon Bryan, Ivan and Sergei, who was wondering how all this was going to end, were in the air with Ivan explaining to the search team over the radio why a grounded helicopter was joining them.

_'Hold on, Podsolnuhk!'_ he thought to himself. _'I'm coming!_'

**I wanted to put in a little about what the crash was like for Yao and the other passengers D:. I was going to write about exactly how the plane crashed but I found myself bogged down with details and I was constantly getting stuck so I decided to leave that for now and maybe put in an investigator's report in the next chapter. In the next chapter we should get right back to the beginning. I doubt I got much right about the plane or airport as my experience with either consisted entirely of going to pick my sister up from the airport when she came back from her holiday.**

**To Normandy – She just won't accept that Ivan doesn't like her that way (as anyone could like their own sister that way if they were, to any degree, normal) and isn't her soul mate. Just wait until Daddy finds out who her soul mate actually is! XP**

**To ocarina921 – Thank you for pointing that out :) This was originally a one-shot and Elizaveta was originally that orphanage manageress character but I made a mistake when I decided to add more stories and also made Elizaveta Feli's counsellor in Love Is Blind so I change the first character to Emma but I miss that one. Thanks for letting me know, I've now corrected that mistake. :D**

**So that's that for this week! Ivan is afraid for Yao's life and General Arlovsky finally arrives to sort out the mess caused by Natalya and Matthew makes a return to support his friend while he waits to see if Yao will pull through.**

**So till next week,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	29. Rescue Me : SOS

**This chapter wasn't what I had planned but here you are! Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 13 : S.O.S**_

The helicopter whirled over the landscape as the crew looked over the area, searching for any sight of the plane. Sergei filled Bryan in on the details of the situation regarding Natalya and Bryan pitied Ivan but he also knew that Ivan would be in trouble for taking the helicopter up with an unsanctioned pilot but he really felt for the guy. How would he feel if it was his soul mate (when he finally found them) in danger? Bryan believed that many would break the rules to save them which was why he chose to pretend that he did not know that Sergei was not a member of the rescue crew. He just hoped he did not regret it.

They finished up the area without spotting anything that could be the plane and Ivan used the radio to report and to say they were going on to the next area. Sergei turned the helicopter and they continued with their search.

* * *

After a while, the passengers were reassured that the plane was not going to explode and the able-bodied began scavenging it for anything useful. Phones, it turned out, were useless as there was no signal so calling for help was out. More blankets were found and pillows were brought back along with any other first aid kits that were found and whatever food and water that was on board and still edible. Axes and flash lights were also procured and the life vests and the life raft for emergency ditch landings which had a flare pistol with it, were brought back to create palettes to put Yao and Captain Maurier on to get them off the ground. The man who had carried Yao out began bringing back parts of the plane with the help of the other able-bodied passengers to build a make-shift shelter as they did not know how long rescue would take and Yao and Captain Maurier needed to be out of the elements.

Yao still had not regained consciousness and Maurier had internal bleeding from where he impacted with the controls. Everyone did what they could to help and make their situation more comfortable with no one whining. The stewardess and the female passenger watched over Yao and Maurier while the others began tying parts of the plane to nearby trees and hoisting a large piece over the top to serve as a roof, should it start snowing. Li Xiao got a fire going to keep them warm which was made harder with his arm in a sling but easier with one of the passengers finding a lighter. Then he collected twigs and small branches that were lying nearby to feed the fire through the night while another male passenger took one of the axes over to a fallen tree and used it off the branches to create bigger logs that would last longer in the flames.

The sky was turning dark when they were finished and they all went into the shelter for the night. The food and water was rationed and everybody got a share. Maurier regained consciousness and the stewardess was able to get him to drink some water although he was in too much pain to eat. Yao remained unconscious and nothing Li Xiao could do would wake him up. The man who had carried Yao out of the plane wandered over to the boy sat beside his brother.

"Hey, kid," he said. "How are you doing?" Li Xiao looked up at the man.

"I'll do better if, like, Yao would wake up," he replied. Then he held up his hand to the man. "I never thanked you for, like, helping me get Yao out. I'm Li Xiao Wang." The man took Li Xiao's hand and shook it.

"Daniel Walters," he said. "Architect from New York, up here for the skiing. Never expected this, though."

"So that explains, like, our current accommodation," Li Xiao replied, looking round at their make-shift shelter and Daniel looked up at the piece of plane above their heads.

"Yeah," he said. "That and I sometimes do these weekend survival trips. You know, learning how to survive in the wild with what you can find. We don't know how long it will be until we're found and we're out in the snow. Now it's getting darker, any searches sent out for us will be called off until morning so we have to work with what we have. Nice job on the fire, by the way."

"Easy with, like, a lighter," Li Xiao replied, then muttered. "I wondered if Ivan's searching for us too."

"Ivan?" Daniel asked.

"My brother's soul mate," Li Xiao replied. "He's, like, on one of the rescue teams around here." Daniel was confused. When he had carried Yao from the plane, his ear had been up against Yao's left side and he had not heard a heartbeat.

"Is your brother's heart beating?" he asked. "I didn't hear it while carrying him."

"Yao's blind," Li Xiao replied. "He can't see Ivan's eyes so his heart won't beat but Ivan's did so we know they're soul mates." Daniel looked at the Chinese man lying on the upside down raft.

"Well, I hope he makes it," he said. Li Xiao took hold of Yao's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"He will!" he said, adamantly. "He has to."

* * *

"All search aircraft," came a message over the radio. "Return to your bases! The Canadian Air-force will be taking over the night time search. We'll begin again at daybreak." Ivan looked at the darkening sky but ignored both that and the order.

"Ivan," Sergei said when Ivan showed no sign of turning around. "We have to go back to the station."

"Nyet!"

"Ivan, I know you want to find them," Sergei told him. "Need to find them but it's going to be too dark to see soon and we're getting low on fuel. If we keep going, they won't just be looking for the plane in the morning, they'll be looking for us. You'll be of no use to Yao or Li Xiao if we crash as well." Ivan sighed. He knew Sergei was right but the idea of ….

"It's just the thought of them out here alone," he muttered. "And I'm unable to reach them ….."

"I know, moy drug," Sergei replied. "But the search isn't over. This helicopter can't operate at night but the air-force can and they'll be searching while we can't. It's not over, Ivan." Ivan continued to fly the helicopter for a moment. He wanted to be the one to find his soul mate, little brother and the other passengers but, in the dark, he could end up bring the helicopter down and endangering his own life and the lives of the people on board, helping no one. That was not just dangerous, it was selfish.

Ivan turned the helicopter back to the Rescue Station.

* * *

Searchlights moved across the over the snow and night covered landscape, looking for a sign of a crash landing, a down plane or, worse case scenario, wreckage. One air-force helicopter moved on from the area where contact was lost and began searching the next section. Fortunately, it was not snowing so the crew had hopes for the survival of any survivors but they needed to find them soon and they hoped that they had not wandered away from the crash site.

* * *

Li Xiao slept lightly, waking whenever there was a sound or a snort or snore from one of the others who managed to sleep and every time he woke, he checked on Yao who's condition had not changed. Gagnon was keeping an eye on Maurier who seemed to be getting worse. Li Xiao really wanted the captain to survive. After all. It was his and Gagnon's skill that had bought them this chance so the guy deserved a break but Li Xiao knew that life was not fair.

Someone cried out in their sleep and woke Li Xiao yet again and he checked Yao yet again but there was no change. It was then that Li Xiao heard the _whomp, whomp, whomp!_ He left the shelter to see where the noise was coming from and there, in the distance, he could see a dark shape in the sky and a beam of light pointed at the ground, moving around.

Li Xiao rushed back into the shelter, over to the supplies and began rummaging through them until he found what he was looking for. He picked up a flash light and put it in his pocket, opened up the small case containing the flare gun, awkward with only one functioning arm, and took it out.

"Hey, kid," Gagnon said as he came up beside him. "What are you doing?"

"There's, like, an helicopter outside," Li Xiao replied, putting a flare cartridge into the barrel. "It has a search light so I think it's, like, looking for us." Gagnon took the flare gun from him and picked up another flash light.

"Show me!" he ordered. They went outside and Li Xiao pointed in the direction he had seen the helicopter. It had moved a little to the right but the searchlight was still searching so Gagnon pointed the flare gun into the air and fired.

* * *

The searchlight spun around the ground but showed only snow, rocks and trees. The co-pilot was looking down while the pilot flew the helicopter so he was the one who saw the flare as it flew into the sky.

"That's got to be them," he said as he turned the helicopter in the direction of the flare. Soon, they were flying over a clear area and the searchlight fell onto the wreckage of the plane.

"That's a mess," the co-pilot commented as he moved the light over the shattered plane that was missing its wings and tail and had left a gouge mark in the ground when it had crashed. "How did anyone survive that?"

"There must be survivors because someone must have fired that flare," the pilot replied. "Try aiming the light at the tree line, they may have taken shelter there." He shouted into the back. "You guys be ready. They probably need medical assistance!" The four airmen in the back, two of them medics, prepared for an emergency while the co-pilot got on the radio and reported the sighting while he shone the light across the tree line. Then he saw two lights coming from the ground to the left and aimed the light in that direction. Two figures could be seen, waving flash lights in their direction and the co-pilot got onto the radio again.

"Base, we've found them!"

* * *

Ivan paced the floor back at the Rescue Station while Sergei sipped cocoa. Bryan was sleeping in one of the cots in the bunk room used for when the crew were on these type of rescues and had to be out at first light. Ivan had not stopped since they came back. The helicopter was refuelled, checked over and ready to go, they were just waiting for the sun to come back up. HQ seemed to be still unaware that the helicopter had even been in the air, let alone with an uninsured pilot but when they found out, there would be hell to pay.

Sergei watched as Ivan paced a few more laps, put down his mug, stood up and stretched.

"I'm going to get my head down for a few hours," he said. "You should do the same. You're not going to be able to fly the helicopter if you're too tired so you should some sleep too. By the way, your father will be here tomorrow. I called him after Natalya's arrest and, I can tell you, he's not happy with your sister. I'm not looking forward to telling him she's my soul mate."

"I will leave Natalya to my father," Ivan replied. "We have grounds to have her committed now. It's just wrong that it took a plane crash to be able to do it. And how can I sleep with my soul mate and Mladshiy Brat missing in the snow."

"The same reason you brought the helicopter home," Sergei replied. "For their benefit. You're no good if you're too exhausted to function." Ivan knew Sergei was right but he also knew that he would be tossing and turning rather than actually sleeping so it seemed pointless to him to try.

"If you want," Sergei offered. "I'll be main pilot tomorrow while you and Bryan look out for the plane but you must at least try to get to get some sleep." Ivan sighed and nodded. Just as they were heading for the bunk room, the phone rang and Ivan answered.

"Hello," he greeted and listened to what was being said on the other end. Sergei watched Ivan face change to one of hope. "Thank you." He put the phone down.

"It looks like we won't be going back up," he said. "The plane's been found."

* * *

Another helicopter was sent out to help the crash victims but the first brought back Maurier, Yao, Li Xiao and the female passenger, the three most injured and the only woman. The second helicopter had arrived as they were taking off to ferry the remaining passengers. Maurier and Yao were put on brain scanners to monitor their brain function as neither one had a heartbeat.

But on the way to the hospital in Banff, something began to go wrong.

"We're losing one!"

"Breathing getting faint!"

"Brain function's dropping, charge the brain defibrillator!" The brain defibrillator worked in the same way as the heart defibrillator, discharging a split-second burst of electricity to kick-start a brain that had stopped functioning and the other medic prepared the emergency machine.

"He's flat-lined!" The other medic applied the electrodes to the temples and set the charge. The other medic took his hands away and the other operated the machine. There was a flicker on the brain scanner but then it flat-lined again. The machine was charged again and they continued to work as the helicopter raced to the hospital.

**ANOTHER EVIL CLIFFHANGER! DX You should be used to those by now. ;) I know I said General Arlovsky and Matthew would be back in this chapter but the search and rescue got away from me so, with luck, they'll be back next week. I hope the brain defibrillator didn't sound too much like electro-shock therapy but a heart defibrillator won't work in this universe as some hearts aren't beating yet. I was going to have Ivan find them but I doubt they would make it through the night so I left it to the Canadian Air-force.**

**To Normandy – Yes, poor Yao! Matthew will be back next week, I will strive to make it happen! ;)**

**Next week should be the last chapter but I make no promises, I promise! XD**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	30. Rescue Me : Hoping For A Miracle!

**Once again, I have to express my condolences to France at the news I saw when I got up this morning. My heart goes out to the people of Nice and my thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims. Once again, France, the world stands with you! T_T**

**I'm sorry for this chapter being late and this isn't the last chapter like I planned. It got away from me and things have got in the way so time was limited but here you go! Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 14 : Hoping For A Miracle!**_

"I'm sorry, Mr Braginski," the receptionist in A &amp; E replied. Ivan and Sergei had left the sleeping Bryan a note and immediately left for the hospital. "All I can tell you is that the helicopter is en-route. It should be here in the next couple of minutes but I have no information on the condition of the patients. Please take a seat, I'll inform you when I have more news." Sergei took Ivan's arm and pulled him away from the desk.

"They can't tell you what they don't know, moy drug," he said. "Let them do their job and they'll let us know more when they do." Ivan rubbed his hands with his face.

"I hope they're on this helicopter," he prayed. "They would bring back the survivors first, da? But! They would also bring back the worse injured first. I don't know what to hope for!"

"Hope for the best," Sergei replied. "It's all you can do for Yao and Li Xiao right now."

"I could give the same advice to you, moy drug," Ivan commented. "With Natalya as your soul mate." As much as he was glad Ivan had something to distract him from worrying about his family, Sergei wished Ivan had not picked that particular subject.

"Tell me about it," he sighed. "I know she's your sister but, after the things she has done, I don't want a person like that as a soul mate. How will I deal with her?

"Perhaps Father can help," Ivan suggested. "You should talk to him when he arrives." Sergei rolled his eyes.

"What a merry conversation that will be!"

* * *

The helicopter touched down on the hospital heliport and orderlies and doctors rushed to take them off the helicopter and assess their condition. Three were taken in for treatment, one was taken to the morgue

* * *

Ivan had chosen the seats closest to the desk so he could hear what was happening and hopefully hear anything about Yao and Li Xiao which his why his ears pricked up when he heard the receptionist answer the phone. She listened for a while, gave an affirmative answer and put the phone now. Then she picked it back up and waited for an answer.

"Hello," she said. "The first helicopter's landed and the second one will be here soon. Three patients are on their way to A &amp; E now …... No, one was pronounced dead on the helicopter and one is in a critical condition. Another has a broken arm and the other just has cuts and bruises ….."

Ivan zoned out of the rest of the conversation as one part began running around in his head. _One was pronounced dead on the helicopter …..."_

"_Please, don't let it be Yao!" _he chanted in his head, trying to drown it out. _"And please don't let it be Li Xiao either!" _Ivan went to the desk again.

"Who's dead?" he demanded. "You said someone had died on the helicopter, who was it?" He was dreading the answer.

"I'm sorry. Mr Braginski," the receptionist replied. "I wasn't given that information. I know you're worried about your soul mate and brother but there's another helicopter coming in so they may not even be on this one. I'll let you know as soon as I find out." Ivan began pacing and nothing Sergei could do could get him to sit down. The next fifteen minutes that passed were like a lifetime to Ivan. He vaguely heard the report of the second helicopter arriving with no more fatalities but he could not rest until he knew if Yao and Li Xiao were all right.

"Mr Braginski," the receptionist called. "Doctor Hanson will be coming to see you." She called to an orderly. "Rickie, can you show Mr Braginski and his friend to the relatives Room." Sergei and Ivan looked at each other, worried while they were taken to the Relatives Room. They were sat there for a minute before a man with black hair and ice-blue eyes holding a clipboard came in.

"Mr Braginski?" he asked and Ivan stood up.

"Da, Doctor," he responded. "I am Ivan Braginski."

"Hello, Mr Braginski," the doctor replied. "I'm Doctor Hanson. I've been taking care of Yao Wang and I understand his younger brother, Li Xiao is also being treated so I took the liberty of checking on his progress for you."

"How are they, Doctor?" he asked.

"Li Xiao has a broken arm which is being reset and put in a cast as we speak," Hanson replied. "Aside from a few bumps and scrapes, that's the extent of his injuries but he's young and resilient so he should make a full recovery."

"What about Yao?" Doctor Hanson look less happy with that question and Ivan feared the worst.

"Yao suffered a serious head injury," he replied and Ivan's face fell, sure that Hanson was about to tell him that Yao had died and the doctor read that in his face.

"He's alive," he reassured Ivan and Ivan relaxed. "But he's in a critical condition. He has severe head trauma and we had to put him in an induced coma to stabilise him. We're requesting a neurosurgeon from Calgary, a Doctor Bell. He's one of the best but it will take a day for him to get here which is another reason we put Yao into a coma." Ivan was too shocked to respond.

"What are his chances, Doctor?" Sergei asked.

"I would say fifty-fifty," Hanson replied. "Less if we couldn't get Bell but without surgery, Yao would eventually die so it's more than worth the risk. One question, however." He turned to Ivan.

"I was informed that you are Yao's soul mate," Hanson said. "But Yao's heart isn't beating ….."

"Yao is blind, Doctor," Ivan replied, coming out of his shock.

"Ahh," Hanson replied, understanding. "I see. As his soul mate, I need your permission to allow Doctor Bell to operate when he arrives. I assume I have it?"

"You said Yao will die without intervention," Ivan replied. "I have no choice but to say yes. It's the only chance he has." Doctor Hanson handed Ivan the clipboard and Ivan signed the permission form.

"I'll have an orderly bring Li Xiao to you when he's finished being treated," Hanson said and quietly left. Ivan sat back down and put his head in his hands.

"I can't lose him," he said in a broken voice. "What will I do if he dies?" Sergei put his hand on Ivan's back.

"You heard the doctor," he told him. "They're getting one of the best to operate on him, they're giving Yao every chance they can to live. You must have faith, Ivan!"

"He has a fifty-fifty chance," Ivan replied. "He could still die."

"But he could also still live!" Sergei emphasised. "Don't bury him before he's cold. And remember, you have Li Xiao to think of. What will it do to him if his Yao's soul mate's giving up on his brother?" Ivan looked up.

"You're right," he replied. "I must be positive for Li Xiao sake."

"And your own."

* * *

General Arlovsky had his passport checked at customs at Calgary International Airport and, once everything was in order, the first order of business was to get some breakfast as it was too early to hire a rental car. Dmitri had caught the overnight flight and it was only just after six in the morning and the earliest any of the car rental places opened was seven. He found an all-night restaurant and ordered his meal and, while he waited, he took out his phone and dialled Ivan's number. It went to voice-mail and Dmitri ended the call, wondering if it was too early. A minute later, his phone rang and it was Ivan, calling back and Dmitri pressed answer.

"Privet, moy syn (_my son_)," he greeted.

"Privet, Otets (_Father_)," Ivan replied. "I'm sorry I didn't answer when you call. I had to leave the building before I could use my phone... I'm at the hospital, Otets." Dmitri imagined the worst.

"Why are you at the hospital, Ivan?"

"Yao and Li Xiao were in a plane crash," Ivan replied. "I was sending them to Calgary and then to China. Otets, Natalya sabotaged the plane! There were eight other people on board and one has died."

"Not Yao or Li Xiao!" Dmitri exclaimed.

"Nyet!" Ivan replied. "I've yet to see Yao or Li Xiao but they're alive. I've been told that Li Xiao has broken his arm but he should be all right. Yao ….." Ivan broke off.

"Ivan?"

"Yao's in a coma," Ivan replied with a broken voice. "They're bringing in a neurosurgeon to perform surgery on him. He could die, Otets!" Dmitri could hear the emotional turmoil in his son's voice.

"Be strong, moy syn," he said. "He's not dead yet. I'm in Canada now and, once I hire a car, I'll be on my way to Banff. Do you know where Natalya is now?"

"Da," Ivan replied. "She's in police custody. You know she shot Katyusha!"

"Da," Dmitri said. "Eduard called to tell me. And now with the sabotage of a plane full of innocent people, she needs to go where she can't hurt anyone else. I'll deal with Natalya when I get there but I'll come to you first. I feel sorry for her poor soul mate when she finds them."

"Yes, Otets, about that …..."

* * *

Since returning from meeting his soul mate's brother and his soul mate, Matthew had had an eventful couple of days, the most exciting of which was meeting back up with Gilbert's friend, Francis who had found his own soul mate, Allistor Kirkland who had, against all odds, turned out to be the brother of Matthew's own brother, Alfred's missing soul mate whom he had met when he was three and had not seen since. Turned out that Allistor's brother, Arthur Kirkland was working with Alfred and the two had started dating. Their reunion had been recorded and put on Youtube where it was viewed so many times the site almost crashed. Matthew's brother and his soul mate were now world famous and everyone called them, '_The_ Soul Mates'.

Matthew finally had time to go and see Aleks and Gilbert accompanied him to the hospital to see his friend. Aleks was sat up with Vladimir at his side when Matthew and Gilbert came in.

"Welcome back, Mattie," Vlad greeted, getting up and hugging his friend then Matthew went over to Aleks and hugged him.

"How are you now?" he asked Aleks.

"Getting better," Aleks replied. "I'll be able to come home soon."

"Can't be too soon for me," Vlad commented. "How are things for you and Gilbert?"

"Awesome!" Gilbert replied as he hugged Matthew. "Me and Birdie are perfect for each other. So what's been going on in this part of the world while we been gone."

"I've heard there was a plane crash yesterday," Aleks replied. "And the patients have been brought here. I imagine A &amp; E were hectic when they were brought in."

"Well, I hope no one was badly hurt," Matthew replied. "Anything about Natalya?"

"She's wanted by the police," Vlad replied. "She tried to kill Yao and shot her own sister. Ivan's sending Yao and Li Xiao back to China for their own safety. She's gone right off the deep end this time, she'll be committed for sure."

"I think that would be best for everyone," Matthew commented. "Ivan and Yao, most of all!"

* * *

Sergei was not happy that Ivan had revealed to General Arlovsky that Natalya was his soul mate because, to be honest and despite his beating heart, Sergei wanted to forget the whole thing had happened.

"Did you have to tell him about me and Natalya?" he groaned. "I wish I could wake up and find all this has been a bad dream."

"As do I, moy drug," Ivan agreed. "He was going find out sooner or later but if it's any consolation, you have his support and sympathy. He said he was going to deal with Natalya when he arrives. I just want her kept as far away from from me and my family as possible."

The door opened and Li Xiao stepped in. He had a large plaster on his cheek and his arm was in a cast and immobilised with a sling. He looked tired and disheartened and Ivan got out of his chair to enclose him in a comforting hug.

"Thank goodness you are safe, Mladshiy Brat," he said. Li Xiao did not fight the hug but he did not welcome it either. He seem to have shut down in an effort to push back what he had just be through.

"The pilot died," he said, tonelessly. "He, like, got us down, gave us a chance but he, like, didn't make it. He should have, like, made it!" Ivan agreed with Li Xiao. People were still alive because of the pilot's skill but he paid for it with his life. Ivan sent silent thanks to the pilot's spirit but now Li Xiao was talking about what happened, everything was crashing in on him.

"Yao wouldn't wake up," Li Xiao began to shake and tears crept into his eyes. "I couldn't carry him from the plane, Daniel had to carry him for me but I couldn't get him to wake up." Then Li Xiao began sobbing on Ivan's shoulder. "Then the helicopter came and I, like, thought 'everything all right now' but then, like, the pilot died and Yao still won't wake up!" Ivan held Li Xiao as he sobbed out the pain and fear he had driven back for the sake of surviving that was surfacing now he did not have to be strong. Ivan made a point of finding this 'Daniel' and thanking him for helping Yao and Li Xiao but right now, Li Xiao was his priority.

"He will wake up, Mladshiy brat," he promised, although he did not know how to make good on that, it was out of his hands and he hated that. "The doctors will see to it." Li Xiao continued to cry uncontrollably and, eventually cried himself to sleep. Ivan laid him down on the chairs and put his coat under Li Xiao's head as a pillow. Sergei had watched all this, feeling somewhat intrusive on this private moment but unable to stop watching.

"He's so strong for his brother," he commented. "You forget how young he really is."

"Da," Ivan replied. "I blame myself for the trouble I brought into his and Yao's life." Sergei sighed.

"This is not your fault, Ivan," he said. "You were destined to meet Yao, just as I was destined to meet your sister, no matter how much we might wish otherwise. This is all down to Natalya, not you! You should go home, get some rest. I can stay here and watch Li Xiao and I'll call you if there's any change with Yao."

"Nyet," Ivan replied. "I won't be able to rest so I might as well stay here."

"At least get out of A &amp; E," Sergei ordered. "Your friend is still in hospital, isn't he? Why not go and see him. He'll want to know about Yao, I'm sure." Yes, thought Ivan, Aleks would want to know as well as Vladimir but he looked over at Li Xiao sleeping on the chair. "I'll watch over him, go!" Ivan gave Li Xiao one last look and then left and went up to Aleks's ward.

* * *

Gilbert was entertaining Aleks and Vlad with stories of his recent visit to his brother and how he interrupted his brother's 'fun' with his soul mate a couple of times and then he told them of the miracle of Ludwig Beilschmidt's blind soul mate's heart beating.

"I wonder if Yao's heart will ever beat without seeing Ivan's eyes," Matthew mused. "I know it would make Ivan happy!" There was a knock on the door and, after Aleks granted entrance, Ivan slowly walked into the room.

"Speak of the devil!" Gilbert replied.

"Hello, Ivan," Aleks replied. "Yao and Li Xiao not with you. Already sent them to Calgary, I suppose." Ivan's reply shock them into silence.

"Yao and Li Xiao were in a plane crash," he said. "Yao's in A &amp; E in a coma!"

**General Arlovsky has arrived in Canada and is not happy with his daughter and Matthew's back. Li Xiao is acting somewhat out of character but he's coming to terms with what's happened and it's affecting him badly. I was in a near accident once and I was all right for a while but then I started crying and shaking uncontrollably for no reason and I couldn't stop so I'm calling on my own experience for Li Xiao's behaviour when he was out of danger and could relax. That's when it can hit bad.**

**I plan for the next chapter to be the last and, with luck, I'll have it ready for Sunday. After that, I have a Spamano chapter for those who asked for one. It's two thirds written already and it's called The Guilty Heart so watch out for that.**

**So till Sunday (hopefully),**

**Hasta la Pasta!**

**My heart is with France!**


	31. Rescue Me : Time To Live

**I'M SORRY! DX I know I promised to update Sunday but Writer's Block sat up and bit me in the bum. I didn't know how to end this and I've been banging my head off the keyboard trying to come up with something and I'm still not sure about the ending but here we go, enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Chapter 15 : Time To Live!**_

Everyone just stared at Ivan and no one said a thing at first.

"The plane crash that the nurses were talking about earlier," Aleks finally broke the silence. "Yao and Li Xiao were on it!" Ivan just nodded.

"To escape Natalya, just to end up in a plane crash ….," Vladimir was stunned by the unfair of it all.

"They didn't escape her," Ivan replied. "The plane crashed because Natalya sabotaged it. She finally succeed in killing someone." Everyone looked at Ivan in shock. If Yao was in a comma then …..

"Li Xiao?" Matthew said, questionably and everybody was relieved when Ivan shook his head.

"Li Xiao will be fine," he told them. "He has a broken arm and some cuts and bruises but he'll heal. The pilot got everybody down alive but he died on the way here. Another innocent caught in Natalya's cross-hairs. I don't know if he had a soul mate but he probably had parents, siblings, family and Natalya's actions will affect them too. The police have her in custody and my father will be here soon to deal with her. I have no wish to lay eyes on her again."

"And what about Yao?" Aleks asked.

"A neurosurgeon is coming in to operate," Ivan replied. "It's the only chance Yao has of surviving. I've been told that his chances are fifty-fifty, only because the doctor coming in is one of the best they can get here. Until then, they're keeping him in an induced coma." Matthew put a comforting hand on Ivan's shoulder.

"They'll do everything possible, Ivan," he told Ivan. "This is a good hospital and Yao will have the best care."

"I can attest to that," Aleks agreed. "They're good here, Ivan. Yao's in good hands."

"Thank you, moy drug," Ivan replied. "But even the best can't save everyone."

"Don't write him off yet, Ivan," Gilbert replied. "Matthew told me that Yao's blind? Well, if he's anything like mien bruder's soul mate, he's awesome and awesome people don't go down without a fight."

"Da," Ivan smiled. "Yao is awesome. I, of course, am bias."

"Then he'll pull through!"

* * *

General Arlovsky drove into Banff and went straight to the hospital. He called ahead and Ivan met him outside A &amp; E and Dmitri hugged the son he had not seen for over four years.

"It's good to see you again, moy syn," he said. "Now, what news of Yao and Li Xiao?"

"Yao's still being kept in a coma," Ivan replied as they walked into the hospital. "They're expecting the neurosurgeon, Doctor Bell in the morning. Li Xiao broke his arm but he'll recover which is more than can be said for the pilot."

"Da," Dmitri agreed. "I will deal with that issue. She's killed an innocent person now, she can't be allowed to be among innocent people while this obsession persists. I thought outside help would suffice but I was wrong so I'm just as responsible for that pilot's life as Natalya."

"We had no proof of her actions, Otets," Ivan said. "We could not get her arrested without proof."

"But I could have had her committed," Dmitri replied. "I knew people and it wouldn't have taken much but I didn't. If I had, none of this would have happened but I let the fact that she was my daughter prevent me from getting her the help that she really needed and, for that, I must take responsibility." They reached the Relatives Room where Sergei still sat with Li Xiao who had woken up and Matthew and Gilbert had joined them.

"Otets," Ivan introduced. "You know Sergei but this is Matvey and his soul mate. Matvey, Gilbert, this is my father, General Dmitri Arlovsky." Matthew came forward, holding out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, General Arlovsky," he said as Dmitri shook his hand.

"Please call me Dmitri," he replied. "Ivan has told me of your friendship during the trouble with my daughter. Thank you! Ivan needed his friends and it's nice to know Natalya didn't scare all of you away."

"Birdie's too awesome to abandon his friends," Gilbert commented, wrapping his arm around Matthew's neck. "And any friend of Birdie's is a friend of mine."

"Good to know," Dmitri replied while Ivan brought Li Xiao to meet his father.

"You know this one but you've never met him," Ivan said. "This is Li Xiao." Dmitri looked over the boy that Ivan had claimed as Mladshiy brat with his choppy brown hair and golden-brown eyes, bearing the injuries inflicted on him by Natalya. The boy looked extremely worn down, not surprising with what he had been through.

"Privet, moy syn," Dmitri replied. "I'm pleased to finally meet the newest member of the family, although I wish it was not like this."

"Like, you and me both," Li Xiao replied. "Are you going to, like, deal with Psycho B …. I mean, Natalya now?" Dmitri knew what Li Xiao was about to call Natalya and with what had happened to Li Xiao and Yao, he could not exactly blame the boy.

"I'll will personally see to it," Dmitri promised. "That she will not trouble you or your brother again. You have my word." Li Xiao just nodded. Dmitri spent some time with Ivan, catching up with the last four years they had spent apart, amused by the story of Li Xiao's conservative art teacher and how Ivan had dealt with him and, of course, Matthew and Gilbert's meeting on the mountainside.

"I think, perhaps, it's time that everybody went to get some rest," Dmitri commented as he saw Li Xiao beginning to nod off and Ivan did not look like he had slept much at in the last couple of days. Sergei looked like he could use some downtime too. He was going to need it because Dmitri and Sergei's next stop was the police station to deal with Natalya.

* * *

Next morning, a car pulled into the car park of the hospital and a man with light brown hair and hazel eyes got out and went into the hospital. He went to Reception Area and waited for the receptionist to finish with the person she had been dealing with.

"I'm Doctor Aaron Bell," he said. "You're expecting me." The receptionist reached for the phone.

"Yes, of course, Doctor Bell," she replied. She had been told that this Doctor would be arriving. "I'll just call Doctor Hanson for you." Within minutes, Doctor Hanson came, carrying a file and began showing Bell the way his office.

"This is a file on the patient," Hanson said, giving Bell the file who opened it and began perusing the contents. "His name is Yao Wang. He suffered a head injury in the plane crash and hasn't regained consciousness."

"I see here he's suffered a brain injury before," Bell replied, still reading the file.

"Yes, from a car accident some years ago," Hanson said. "It caused blindness and, despite being operable, doctors were afraid attempt it." Bell held up a brain scan.

"The damage is in the same area, it looks like," he commented. "That's a sensitive part of the brain, I'm not surprised no one wanted to touch it, I would think twice about that but if we don't operate ..."

"Yao Wang will die," Hanson replied. "So there's nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying."

"I'll operate as soon as everything is ready," Bell replied.

"I'll inform the family."

* * *

Ivan and Li Xiao was there as soon as they could after the call that told them that Yao was going into surgery. They left Dmitri and Sergei who had another problem to deal with but gave Matthew a call to let him and Gilbert know. Bryan had called to see how things were going and he was checking into a hotel as he had not had chance to arrange accommodation and messages had been sent by HQ, demanding that Ivan get in touch with them which Ivan chose to ignore for the time being.

Doctor Hanson met them and took them to see Yao before he was taken down for surgery. Yao looked pale with a large pad over the injury on his head. He was on a respirator and a brain monitor which broke Ivan's heart. Li Xiao did not like to see it either and took his brother's hand.

"You have to pull through, Gēgē (_Brother_)," he said. "I, like, need you! We need you!" Ivan took Yao's other hand.

"Come back to us, Podsolnuhk," he begged. "We can't lose you now." Then nurses began to come in to take Yao down to the operating theatre. Ivan bent down to kiss Yao on the forehead.

"I love you, Podsolnuhk," he whispered and both he and Yao stood back as Yao's stretcher was pushed from the room.

"He's not, like, going to die, is he?" Li Xiao asked, brokenly. Ivan pulled him into a hug.

"No, he won't," he replied, adamantly. "He can't!"

* * *

Sergei followed the General into the police station as they went to see Natalya. They went up to the desk to talk to the officer who looked up at them when they approached.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I'm General Arlovsky," Dmitri replied. "I believe you're holding my daughter, Natalya Arlovskaya, I would like to see her."

"I have to tell you," the officer replied. "That she's already appeared before the judge and been denied bail."

"You misunderstand me," Dmitri replied. "I want to see her, not bail her. I think it's safer for everyone if she stays in custody." The officer just stared at the General. It was unusual for a parent to want their child to remain in jail.

Natalya sat in her cell, wondering what had happened with the plane. Had Yao been killed in the crash? Was Yao finally dead? Was Ivan free of his influence? Natalya hoped so.

The door opened and an officer came in, followed by her father and behind him was that Sergei Mikhaylov, her father pet guard dog. She did not care if he had started her heart beating, he was not her soul mate. She was destined for Ivan and that was that!

Dmitri glared at his daughter with her shortened hair, still dressed in the airport jumpsuit she had been arrested in and wondered where he had gone wrong with her. Ivan and Katyusha were not like this, did not have such incestuous tendencies so where had they come from?

"I don't what happened to you, Natalya," Dmitri shook his head. "To turn you into this. The people you hurt in Russia, your brother's friend, Aleks, Katyusha and now this plane crash! The innocent people on board that plane, you never gave them a single thought, did you! And now, someone is dead because of your obsession." Natalya took on a hopeful expression. "Wipe that look off your face, Natalya. Yao is still alive but you killed the pilot! Fortunately, he was the only one that died after he got everyone else down but that's one life too many. Your ridiculous obsession with your brother has caused death and heartache and I will not let you cause any more. You have a soul mate and it's not your brother." Natalya pointed a defiant finger at Sergei.

"HE is not my soul mate!" she hissed. "My heartbeat means nothing. Ivan's my soul mate, I do not accept HIM!"

"You're not my ideal partner either," Sergei shot back. "You think I want to spend my life with someone who obsesses about their own brother and tries to kill anyone who comes near. I've seen things in combat, horrible things in the heat of battle but what you've done to innocent people who are no threat and never harmed you turns even my stomach."

"Good!" Natalya snapped. "I'm glad that's settled, now I don't have to see you aga..."

"As much as I don't want to inflict you on Sergei," Dmitri interrupted. "Nothing changes the fact that you two are soul mates but..." He stared his daughter down. "...you still have a lot to answer for so I'll make it your decision. You can accept Sergei as your mate AND not kill him and I'll arrange for you to be treated in an institution..."

"You can't be serious ….." Natalya huffed.

"Or you can refuse him," Dmitri snapped. "In which case, I let you rot in prison. Three counts of attempted murder, one resulting in manslaughter at the very least. I'll even tell the police about your actions in Russia so can you imagine the sentence you'll receive. You might even get life imprisonment and I'm ashamed to say that you deserve every year of it. So make your choice." Sergei groaned as Dmitri offered the deal. He did not want Natalya near him any more than Ivan did but it looked like he would be stuck with her.

Natalya considered the deal. She stood a much better chance of getting free of an institution than a prison and she did not have to kill Sergei, just leave him behind. Ivan was the one for her and she would get free and make sure Ivan knew that too.

"Very well," she replied. "I accept Sergei as my mate." Sergei was half hoping Natalya would tell her father to go to Hell. Dmitri knew that Natalya was thinking that to would be easier to escape from an institution but she would be in for a surprise as the one he had in mind was of the highest security.

"Good!" Dmitri exclaimed. "I'll see to it. And I'll arrange the wedding too." Sergei and Natalya both almost fainted with shock.

"WHAT!"

* * *

The operation was well under way and Doctor Bell was a mask of concentration as he worked on a very sensitive part of Yao's brain. One slip and Yao might never wake up again so Bell was intent on his work. It was not just the injury from the plane crash he had to content with but the earlier injury as well which he had to repair in order to put right the other damage and it was proving troublesome but he would do his best to give Yao the best chance he could. He paused so a nurse could mop his brow and then he went back to work.

* * *

Matthew and Gilbert had arrived to keep Ivan and Li Xiao company while Yao was in surgery. They sat by Ivan but Li Xiao seemed to need space and sat across the room. Ivan was slouching down in his chair, taking comfort in the feeling of the scarf Katyusha had given him against the lower half of his face, wishing he had her comforting presence with him right now. He was now second-guessing every decision he had ever made since realising that Natalya was in Banff. Not getting Yao and Li Xiao out immediately instead of trying to keep Yao's existence a secret which proved to be futile as Natalya had already known. If he had, Aleks would not have been hurt, Katyusha would not have been shot, Captain Maurier would still be alive and Yao would not be undergoing brain surgery.

"I should have sent Yao home the moment Natalya showed up," Ivan muttered. "Why didn't I send him home?" He buried his face in his hands.

"Hindsight's a wonderful thing," Matthew replied. "Or would be if you could go back and change things but you can't. Yao and everyone else had every right to be safe so this is all Natalya, not you."

"Ja," Gilbert agreed. "It's not your fault she's a nutjob!" The door opened and Sergei came in, looking none too happy.

"Sergei!" Ivan exclaimed. "How did things go at the police station?"

"The General's arranging for Natalya to be put into an institution," Sergei replied.

"Good!" Li Xiao replied. "It's about time Psycho Bitch got put where she, like, belongs."

"Does your father hate me or something?" Sergei wailed at Ivan.

"Izvinite? (_Excuse me?_)," Ivan asked, surprised.

"The General gave her a choice," Sergei replied. "Accept me as her soul mate and go into the institution or refuse and go to prison. The General's arranging the wedding as we speak!"

"It, like, sucks to be you," Li Xiao commented.

"Can't you refuse to marry her?" Matthew asked.

"No one says no to the General," Sergei replied. "And for better or worse, she is my soul mate. Sooner or later, I have to face that. Any news of Yao?"

"Nyet," Ivan replied. "He's still in surgery."

"Well, the General would like you to keep him informed," Sergei replied. "I have to go back. He sent me because you can't use your mobile in the hospital but he wanted me to return immediately." He turned to leave.

"Hey, Sergei!" Li Xiao called. "Like, run for the hills!" Sergei gave a dry laugh and left.

"Any one want to bet, like, how long before Psycho Bitch kills him?" Li Xiao said.

* * *

That was it! Bell had done all he could for Yao so now it was up to his patient to make it the rest of the way. He left the operating theatre, leaving the nurses to take Yao back to his room, pulling off his surgical mask, gloves and head gear as he went to the wash room and dumped them in the hospital waste bin and began to scrub his hands, taking the time to relax. It had been an extremely sensitive operation that had tested his skill to the utmost. He just hoped it would be enough.

He made his way to the Relatives Room where he had been told that Yao's family were waiting for news. He opened the door to find four people inside. One was a Chinese teenager so he assumed he was a sibling of Yao's and there was an albino man with red eyes with a blonde man with violet eyes. The final person was one of the tallest men Bell had ever seen with platinum blonde hair and violet eyes almost the same colour of the other blonde and they all turned to look at him.

"Are you with Yao Wang?" he asked and both the tall man and the teenager stood up.

"I'm his brother!" the teenager replied.

"I'm his soul mate!" the tall man revealed. "And his fiancé!"

"I'm Doctor Aaron Bell!" Bell said. "The operation went as well as could be expected! If he makes it through the next twenty-four hours, he has a chance. The rest is up to him now!"

"Can we see him, Doctor?" the tall man asked. Doctor Bell nodded.

"He's being moved to a private room in ICU, right now," he replied. "Give us time to get him settled and I'll have a nurse take you to him!"

"Thank you, Doctor!" the teenager said and Bell left the room. Yao had a lot of people who care about him and Bell hoped he made it.

* * *

It had been three days since Yao had come out of surgery and Ivan and Li Xiao had practically haunted the hospital but that did not stop HQ from catching up with Ivan and he was currently suspended for taking the helicopter up with an uninsured and unsanctioned pilot. Ivan, at the moment, did not particularly care but he kept Bryan out of it, claiming that he did not know that Sergei was not a member of the team so, until someone told them differently, Bryan was not in any trouble.

General Arlovsky had been in to visit with Ivan and to see how Yao was doing. He had arranged with the Canadian courts to have Natalya committed to a mental institution, subject to her trial but, given her behaviour and obsession, it was likely that she would remain there for some time. Sergei had something of a reprieve, though. Until Natalya could be declared of sound mind, she could not make any major legal decisions, such as getting married. So Sergei was safe. For now!

Ivan and Li Xiao sat in chairs on either side of Yao's bed, each holding one of Yao's hands as Li Xiao slept and Ivan was beginning to nod off. The good news was Yao had been taken off the respirator as he could breathe on his own which his soul mate and brother were happy about as it showed some improvement.

Now, if he would only wake up.

* * *

Yao had the worst headache he could ever remember having and he felt so weak. He could feel his body but every part of it felt heavy and too difficult to move. The most Yao could do was groan at the ache in his head.

As tired as Ivan was, he heard the groan and sat up, just in time to heard Yao groan again and he stood over Yao as Yao's eyes moved under his eyelids.

"Li Xiao!" he called. Li Xiao shifted a little in his sleep and settled again.

"LI XIAO!" Ivan called, louder and Li Xiao's eyes slowly drifted open. When he saw Ivan standing over Yao, he stood up too.

"I think he's waking up," Ivan said and looked back down at Yao.

Yao wondered why his head ached so much and then the plane crash came back to him and he wondered what had happened to his brother.

"Li Xiao!" he muttered as Li Xiao stood at his side.

"Like, I'm here, Yao," he replied and Yao slowly opened his eyes.

At first, it did not occur to Yao that anything was different. Just a blur of light and colours and then it hit him that he should not be able to see light or colours and, if his heart was beating, it would have sped up with shock and excitement. He was seeing light and colour! What had happened to him to create this miracle? His vision was blurry but this was more than he could have hoped for. But it did not end there as his vision began to sharpen as he blinked and Li Xiao came into focus. He had a large plaster on his cheek and his arm was in a sling but Yao was so glad to see his eighteen year old brother whom he had not laid seeing eyes on for six years. His brother had grown into a handsome young man but the eyes were the same. The same golden-brown orbs that used to shine out of a twelve year old's face.

"Li Xiao?"

Yao was looking at him but Li Xiao could tell there was something different about the way he was looking at him. More focused, looking AT him rather than through him. In fact, Yao was looking at him the way he used to before the car cras...

Li Xiao's eyes widened. Was it possible?

Yao could smell Ivan's cologne and shifted his vision to the other person in the room, one of the most important people in his life that he had never, ever seen. He saw a tall man with platinum blonde hair, a somewhat large nose and Yao looked up into violet eyes and into Ivan's soul.

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump!_

Tears sprang into Yao's eyes as he felt something he had never thought to ever feel. His heart was beating, really beating and the pain in Yao's head was forgotten as the excited pounding of his heart that he had imagined earlier became a reality.

Ivan saw the tears come to Yao's eyes and wondered why his soul mate was crying. Was he in pain? Did he need pain relief?

"What's wrong, Podsolnuhk?" he asked. "Shall I get a doctor for you?" Yao managed to find the strength to move his hand to take Ivan's left hand and bring it up to his chest and over his heart. Ivan's eyes widened as he felt the bumping under his hand.

"I see you, Ivan," Yao whispered. "I see you, aru!" Ivan just stared down at the hand under which Yao's heart beat. Had Doctor Bell fixed more than the damage caused in the crash? Could the operation have also reversed the damage that stole Yao's eyesight? It must have done!

"Do you like what you see, Podsolnuhk?" he asked, half joking, half seriously. What if Yao did not like how he looked? What if Yao wished his soul mate looked different? Ivan found he was a little scared.

Yao looked up at his soul mate, taking in his pale but handsome face and the beautiful violet eyes that had set his heart beating. Ivan had a smile on his face but Yao got the feeling that it was hiding some fear and Yao realised that Ivan was afraid that he might be disappointed with him.

"I like what I see very much, aru," Yao replied and the smile on Ivan's face became genuine. He stroked his right hand over Yao's head, avoiding the operated area and bent down to kiss Yao on the lips.

"So do I," Ivan said and kissed him again. Li Xiao was ready to cry and trying hard not to and Yao looked back at him.

"You've grown, little brother," Yao said. "I'm so proud of you, aru." Li Xiao said nothing and just hugged his brother.

And cried.

* * *

Doctor Bell confirmed that, in order to heal the injury Yao got in the plane crash, he had had to repair the earlier damage that had robbed Yao of his sight and, after more rest, tests were performed to check the extent of Yao's restored vision. It was not perfect, probably never would be and he would need visual aids but it was more than Yao had ever expected to regain so he was not going to complain about his vision not being 20/20. After six years of blindness, Yao was more than happy with what he had.

Yao was still weak and it would take time to regain his strength but it would happen. It surprised doctors that Yao had full recollection of the crash, up until he was knocked out but head injuries are strange things and no one can predict how anyone would react to them. Matthew, Gilbert, Vlad and Aleks came to visit him and Yao saw his friends for the first time and was introduced to Gil. He thought the albino was loud and somewhat full of himself but he and Matthew were clearly attached to each other. Yao wished his blonde, violet-eyed Canadian friend the very best in his life and, as for Aleks and Vladimir, Yao thought that the black-haired, green-eyed Bulgarian and the strawberry blonde Romanian with the reddish eyes looked good together.

Natalya stood trial and sentenced to a maximum security mental institution as she was diagnosed with an extreme obsessive attachment disorder which had resulted in dangerous tendencies and had already resulted in one death so it was decided that she should remain in the institution until such time as she could be reintegrated back into society. General Arlovsky made arrangements for her to be transferred to an asylum in Moscow that Dmitri knew could keep his unstable daughter contained. He and Sergei (unfortunately) would also visit and keep an eye on her.

HQ kept Ivan on suspension but, taking the circumstances into consideration, decided not to fire him as good pilots were hard to come by but he was also on a warning. Any more incidents like that he would be fired and possibly prosecuted.

Ivan and Li Xiao naturally visited Yao every day and, after a month, he was finally released from hospital and they all went home together at long last. Ivan and Li Xiao had spent time cleaning the whole house for Yao's home coming as he had never seen it and every inch was sparkling like new, even Li Xiao's room was unusual neat so when Yao came home, he saw it at its best for the very first time. Ivan wheeled Yao into the living room in a wheelchair as he was still weak and needed to conserve his strength. The chair he sat in to read and drink tea was a comfortable, high-backed chair as he saw it for the first time after years of sitting in it. The living room was warm and comfortable with a TV in the corner that Yao would sometimes listen to while Ivan and Li Xiao watched. Now he could watch with them.

"Welcome home, Podsolnuhk," Ivan said and helped Yao out of the wheelchair and into the high-back. "I know I asked this when we first moved in but ….. do you like the house?"

"Very much," Yao replied. "It can be a home now, can't it? We'll never have to worry again, aru." Yao found it ironic that, now he could see, they no longer had to look over their shoulders for Natalya. She was safely put away in Moscow and it would be some time before she could ever be a threat again.

"Da, Podsolnuhk," Ivan replied as he knelt down in front of Yao. "We can have a life free of fear and live how we really should. Li Xiao can go to college with an easy mind and we can finally enjoy being soul mates." And Ivan reached up and kissed Yao on the lips. Yao smiled at his silly, Russian bear.

"Good plan, aru!" he agreed.

**I might rewrite the ending at a later date but, at the moment, this is what I've cudgelled out of my brain. Yao's finally got his sight back, his heart is beating and Ivan and Yao can finally live their lives free and clear of Natalya XD shame the same can't be said for Sergei DX I might do a one-shot of Natalya and Sergei at a later date, when I think of an idea for their story.**

**To Normandy – Poor Yao but, yay, Spamano next! XD**

**Yes, next it's Spanamo! We go back to the Love Is Blind story arc for Lovino and Antonio's tale The Guilty Heart. All Spamanoites cheer! XDDD.**

**Till then,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	32. Heartbeat : The Guilty Heart Pt 1

**I'M SORRY! DX I wanted to this out on Thursday or, at least, Sunday but it went on longer than I expected. It was so long, I'm breaking it up into two parts and the next part will be on Thursday. After that, I might not be posting big stories for a while but I'll try to get some one-shots out but this week, I'll be busy getting cosplays ready because I'm off for a two day convention in Manchester at the end of the week. XD (That's Manchester, England AKA The Rainy City. Fingers crossed for mild weather). At long last, the long awaited Spamano story, Enjoy!**

**Warning : Attempted Suicide!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**The Guilty Heart**_

_This take place six months before Love Is Blind..._

Lovino had not had the best night, working at the _Cielo Italiano_ restaurant to put himself through college, learning business and culinary courses with the goal of opening his own restaurant one day. He had been stuck with a diner who could not make up his mind what meal he wanted to order and when he did, he changed his mind. Finally, the diner made up his mind and Lovino quickly disappeared into the kitchen before the diner could decide that he wanted something else. He put the order up for the chefs to put together and then comprehensively cursed the customer out, the curl sticking out of his red-brown hair on the right, quivering with suppressed rage.

"Stupid, indecisive bastard!" he stormed. "Like I've got time to stand around while he decides what pig swill to shove down his throat. What's wrong with the bastard? Is he need going to need Mummy to feed him as well?!" Lovino's cousin, Marcello who was in the kitchen, picking up meals, chuckled.

"Showing your superior people skills again, Lovino?" he asked, jokingly.

"Screw you!"

"And I don't cook pig swill!" Sadik said at the work top, pointing at Lovino with his meat cleaver. "I cook good quality food and don't you forget that!"

"Might as well be swill for all the appreciation that bastard will give it!" Lovino declared. "Probably get more appreciation if you gave it to pigs! I don't think the stingy bastard will leave a tip either!"

"You need a holiday, Lovino," Marcello commented. "Or a soul mate!" Lovino pulled a face.

"A soul mate is the last thing I need!" he stated. "What I need is less customers being indecisive dick-heads."

Lovino dreaded finding his soul mate. He wanted to feel his heartbeat but because of what had happened ten years ago, Lovino felt he did not deserve a soul mate.

"_Come on, fratello!" eleven year old Lovino shouted to his ten year old brother, Feliciano, as they ran toward the forest. "Let's climb the trees! I bet I can climb higher!"_

"_I bet you can't!" the excited younger brother exclaimed as they ran into the woods and began looking for the best climbing trees. Lovino found a good one and began scaling the branches, Feliciano close behind him in the next tree. Lovino gained good height in his tree with the branches being close together but, as Feliciano got higher in his tree, the branches became more widely spaced and he had to reach further to get hold of them. The next branch was a distance and he reached out his small hand to reach it and, as he managed to grab it, his foot slipped but his hand could not grip the branch properly and it slipped from his grip as he fell into open air with a scream._

"_FELI!"_

_Lovino watched in horror as his little brother hit the ground with a sickening thud and began to make his way down his tree, risking falling himself but he made it to the ground and ran to where Feli lay. Feliciano's unnaturally pale skin made his auburn hair with the left hand curl stand out against his forehead, as it did the blood seeping from the side of his head where it had hit an upraised tree root. Feliciano looked like he was dead and Lovino began to cry as he shook his brother gently, trying to get some reaction but Feli remained unnaturally still and Lovino did the only thing he could. He ran home for help!_

_Romulus wasted no time following his eldest grandson to reach Feliciano's side and reassured Lovino that his brother was still alive and made him wait while Romulus went to call an ambulance. Feliciano was swept into hospital where he stayed in a coma for three days. He had a few broken bones but had somehow avoided damaging his back but the doctors were concerned about the head injury as he was yet to wake and a CAT-scan showed damage around the optic nerve. After the three days, Feli finally woke but the true damage became clear as Feliciano began to cry as he realised that he could not see._

_Lovino cried himself to sleep that night! It was his fault! He had suggested climbing the trees and now the doctors said that the damage to the optic nerve was unrepairable. Feli would be blind for the rest of his life and Lovino knew it was because of him!_

Lovino rubbed his eyes as if trying to rub away the unpleasant memory that would always be a permanent resident in his brain, along with the other one that was always behind his eyes, the memory that made him not want to find his soul mate.

_Lovino had gone to the library to study but there had been some kind of water leak and the library was closed so Lovino trudged home, cursing under his breath at not getting his study period in and he opened the front door with a disgruntled bang. No one was home and he dumped his books on the dining room table and ran upstairs to the bathroom. Nature was calling and he wanted to answer it before he got down to studying with what books he had._

_When he opened the bathroom door, he found that he was not alone in the house. Feliciano was stood in the room, his face a mass of tears and, to Lovino's horror, he was holding a blade to his wrist._

_Lovino grabbed his both of his brother's arms and forced the blade away from the other wrist, his brother, struggling._

"_Feliciano, drop the knife!" he ordered. Feliciano gave a hard sob and slowly slackened his grip and the blade fell to the floor. Lovino wrapped his arms around his sobbing brother while he willed his breathing to slow down after the scare he had just had sent it to the speed of sound._

"_Why?" he demanded, angrily. He did not mean to sound like that but the sight of his brother attempting to take his own life had made him lose control of his emotions. "Why would you do something so stupid, fratello? What's so bad that you'd do this to yourself? To us? Do you know what this would do to Nonno? Why?" Lovino fished his phone out of his pocket and dialled his grandfather's number._

"_Lovino," Romulus answered the call. "This is not a good …."_

"_Get home, Nonno!" Lovino ordered. "Get home now! It might not be a good time there but it's a worse one here, come home now! It's Feliciano!"_

"_What about Felici ….?"_

"_Just come home, Nonno!" Lovino hung up and put his phone back in his pocket, turning his attention to his still sobbing brother and taking him out of the bathroom and down to the living room, lying him down on the couch, as he continued to cry. Lovino stood up and shove his hands into his hair and gripped it. He did not know what to do and he began crying himself as his helplessness to help his brother overwhelmed him. He knelt down and hugged Feliciano._

"_Why, Feli?" he asked, again. "Why do you want to leave us like this?" Feli gave a hard sob._

"_Why should I live?" he wailed. "I'll never feel my heart beat because I can't see my soul mate's eyes and I can't condemn my soul mate to a life with someone with no beating heart. I'll always be alone so it would be better if I just died!" Lovino picked Feli up and sat down pulling his distraught brother into his lap and hugged him tight. This was because of him! Because of Feli's blindness, caused by him! Just when Lovino could not feel any lower, his actions were waiting with more consequences. He not only took away his brother's sight, he almost took away his life! Lovino tucked Feli's head under his chin and wept with him._

_Romulus dove into the house to find his youngest grandson in the arms of his eldest, weeping as if the world was ending and he knew that this was something serious._

"_Lovino, what's happened?" he demanded as Feli continued to sob. Lovino turned his tear-reddened eyes up to his grandfather._

"_Feli tried to kill himself," he said. Romulus did not react at first because what Lovino had said had not sunk in._

"_What?"_

"_I came home to find Feli trying to slash his wrist, Nonno," Lovino clarified. "He wanted to die because he thinks he's going to be alone for the rest of his life because his heart will never beat! He doesn't want to chain his soul mate to him because of that and thinks he'd be better off dead. Nonno, what do we do?"_

_There was only one thing that they could do and that was to take him to the hospital who recommended that Feliciano be put on Suicide Watch in a mental health centre which Lovino was not happy with. He wanted to stay with his brother because he did not trust them to treat his brother kindly as he had heard so many horror stories. Feliciano was a fragile soul and his blindness made him all the more vulnerable. He did not want his brother worse than when he went in._

_After three days, Feliciano was deemed low risk but he was given medication to calm his mood and he was referred to Doctor Elizaveta Héderváry Edelstein, a specialist in mental health issues in young people and she would counsel Feliciano for the past three years. He was doing much better but his issues had not gone away which was why Lovino did not want to find his soul mate just yet. If he found his soul mate, it might upset Feli and Lovino did not want anything to set Feliciano's recovery back. Lovino felt that he had caused his brother enough pain._

Sadik put two meals on the collection shelf and Lovino picked them up, leaving the kitchen to take them to a table he had served earlier. He placed them on the table in front of the diners with an _Enjoy your meal!_ and then to another table who were ready to pay the bill. His mood was lightened a little when the man paying the bill also left a generous tip and, as the man left, Lovino gave him a genuine _Please do come again, __Signore__!_

Lovino cleaned the now empty table down and put on fresh cutlery and side plates, replacing the glasses and refreshing the water jug ready for the next customer before going back into the kitchen to collect Mr Indecisive's meal and deliver it to him.

"Enjoy your meal, Signore," he said, politely and moved away before the annoying time-waster could waste any more of his time. The door to the restaurant opened and a new customer walked in. Lovino could see a dark-haired man out of the corner of his eye and he groaned when he was shown to the table he had just cleared and set up which meant he had to serve the guy. He gave a disgruntled sigh, picked up his pad and a menu and went to the table.

"Buonasera, Signore," he greeted in his politest voice. "Welcome to Ceilo Italiano! I'm Lovino, your waiter for the evening. Can I get you a drink while you look at the menu?" Lovino handed the menu to the man and the man looked up to take it. Caramel eyes clashed with those the colour of a green forest.

_Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump!_

When Antonio Carriedo came into the restaurant to eat because he did not want to eat alone at home, he never thought he would meet the one person who would make sure that he was never alone again as attested by his beating heart. Lovino had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen and the rest of him was not bad either. His hair was dark brown with hints of red in it with a large stray curl that sprung out to the left and complimented the olive skin that covered a slight but toned body. Yes, Fate had been very kind to him.

"I would like a glass of your finest wine," he said, his Spanish heritage clear in his voice. "And my soul mate to join me!"

Lovino stared at the man as he felt his no longer still heart pound against his rib-cage and his pad and pencil fell from his nerveless fingers. His soul mate had chocolate brown hair and tanned skin and was one hundred percent Spanish. His green eyes were cheeky and flirtatious as he requested that Lovino sit with him and, for a moment, Lovino revelled in finding his soul mate but then reality intruded.

_Feliciano! Mio Dio!_ How would Feliciano react to this! He backed away, shaking his head.

"No!" he said in denial. "No! No! No! I can't do this!"

Then he turned and ran.

* * *

This was not how Antonio had imagined his soul mate reacting to him. His vision was his soul mate would be overjoyed to see him and fall into his arms, not turn and run at the sight of him. Finding your soul mate was supposed to be a happy time but the waiter, Lovino?, had looked like the world had just ended. Antonio had to find out what was wrong and followed his fleeing soul mate.

"Lovino?" Marcello called after his cousin as he ran passed him, followed by a man with green eyes and dark hair whom he stopped. "What just happened? What did you say to my cousin?"

"He's my soul mate," the man replied in his Spanish accent. Antonio watched as the confusion on the other Italian man's face cleared as if he understood something.

"Oh!" the man, who's name badge said 'Marcello', said. "This is going to be awkward."

"Why is he so upset about finding me?" Antonio asked, desperately to understand. Marcello scratched his head.

"It's complicated, Signore," he replied. "Let's find him first. He probably ran into the staffroom." And he indicated to Antonio to follow him.

* * *

Lovino sat in a chair in the staffroom, hugging himself and rocking back and forth. Why did he have to find his soul mate? He did not deserve one, not after what he did to his brother and what he drove him to! And he was scared to tell Feliciano about what had just happened. Lovino had been living on egg-shells ever since that dreadful night three years ago, terrified of anything that would send his brother over the edge again. And this could definitely qualify!

There was a knock on the staff room door but Lovino ignored it as he did not want to talk to anyone right now but he was not going to get a choice as the door was pushed open and Marcello walked in.

Followed by the man who had started Lovino's heart beating!

Lovino leapt out of his seat and backed away from them.

"Why did you bring him in here, idiota?" Lovino fumed.

"Lovino, you have to face it," Marcello replied. "You found your soul mate! The two of you are meant to be together and you can't let Feli stop you from living the life you were suppose to lead!" Antonio frowned. Who was Feli? Did Lovino have a boyfriend? A twinge of jealously stabbed Antonio's newly beating heart.

"Feli's my fault!" Lovino stated. "And if he finds out that I've found my soul mate, he might ….." Lovino hid his face in his hands.

"I couldn't live with myself if he succeeded this time," he wailed. "I can't do that to Feli!" Antonio came forward and pulled Lovino's hands down from his face and gazed into his caramel eyes.

"My name is Antonio Carriedo," he introduced himself. "And I understand that you don't want to hurt your boyfriend, Lovi, but he's not your soul mate so he must have known that this day was coming." Lovino went as red as a tomato.

"Feliciano isn't my boyfriend, idiota!" he stormed. "He's my fratello! That's it! I'm going back out to work and when I come back, I want this bastard gone!" He stormed out, banging the door on his way out. Antonio blushed at his mistake.

"I just put my foot in it, haven't I?" he asked Marcello.

"Right up to the knee," Marcello replied.

* * *

Lovino came back after a shift of biting his tongue as customers annoyed him more than usual as the new situation played on his mind. His mood was not improved as he walked into the staffroom to find Antonio still there waiting for him.

"I thought I told you to go," he fumed. Antonio just smiled at his seething soul mate.

"Lo senito," he replied. "Marcello explained about Feliciano. I'm sorry I misunderstood."

"Marcello had no business telling you anything about that, Bastard," Lovino swore. "That's family business!" Antonio smiled again.

"I'm your soul mate, Lovi," he said. "That makes me family now."

"Says who!" Lovino snapped. "And don't call me Lovi!" Antonio took a step toward Lovino.

"Lovino," he replied. "You've finished work now, can we go somewhere and talk and eat? I still haven't eaten and we have a lot to discuss." Lovino was torn between telling this guy to f**k off and wanting to accept his offer as Antonio looked back at him with a hopeful expression. Lovino sighed and he knew that his Spanish soul mate was right, they did need to talk, no matter how much Lovino wished otherwise. He took off his apron and grabbed his jacket.

"Fine," he huffed, putting his jacket on. "But you're paying, Bastard!"

* * *

They found a nice little cafe, down near the river where they ordered coffee and some sandwiches, not the meal that Antonio had been antipating but he could get something else later if he became hungry. Right now, his priority was trying to talk his soul mate into accepting him into his life but the issue of his brother stood between them like the late, unlamented Berlin Wall.

"So you were both climbing trees when Feliciano fell?" Antonio asked. Lovino nodded.

"Lovi, all children climb trees," Antonio pointed out. "I was forever up a tree at that age."

"It was my idea, you jerk," Lovino snapped. "If I hadn't, Feli would have fallen and lost his sight. He tried to kill himself because he won't be able to see his soul mate so if I were to go and tell him ….."

"Lovi," Antonio leant forward and took Lovino's hand. "You and Feliciano could just have easily been me. My friends, Francis and Gilbert and I were forever climbing trees, sometimes at their suggestion, sometimes at mine. It's just something that children do! Were you ever told not to climb trees?" Lovino thought and could not remember ever being forbidden to do that.

"No," he replied. Antonio smiled at him.

"So it was not a forbidden past time," he said. "You and Feli were not disobeying your parent or guardian and you said you didn't have to force Feli up the tree. This was nothing more than a bad accident, Lovi! You're not to blame!"

"It doesn't matter!" Lovino exclaimed. "I can't tell Feli about this! If the library hadn't flooded that night, I might have been coming home to a corpse, I was barely in time as it was. What if it pushes him over the edge and this time, there's no one there to stop him?" Antonio sighed.

"All right," he replied. He could see that Lovino was not going to budge on this issue. "But you are my soul mate, Lovino, that won't change and I want you in my life but, fine, we won't tell your brother but your grandfather has to know. But it can't go on forever, Lovi! Sooner or later, you'll have to tell your brother because I won't live in the shadows forever." Lovino stared into his coffee.

"But not right now," he stated. "I'll pick the moment, just not right now." Antonio was happy with that because, whether Lovino realised it or not, he had just agreed to being with him and Antonio was content with that for now.

"Fine," he replied.

* * *

Feliciano was at a therapy session when they told Lovino's grandfather and Romulus took it in stride but did not agree that keeping Feliciano in the dark was the best idea.

"You should tell your brother," he said. "It was going to happen sooner or later and Feliciano knows that. He won't be happy if you keep this from him and he finds out elsewhere."

"No," Lovino said adamantly. "I'm not risking it! You don't know what it was like, seeing Feli with a blade to his wrist. I'm not doing anything that might make him do that again so we're not telling him about this, comprendere?"

"Lovi..."

"We're not talking about this anymore!" Lovino put his foot down. "I'm going to the bathroom. When I come back, we better be talking about something else, bastards." And he stormed out of the room. Romulus sighed.

"I knew he would be like this when he found you," he told Antonio. "As you know, Lovino was the one who found Feli and, on top of what happened when Feli was ten, it affected him badly. It will take some persuading to get him to tell Feli."

"Shouldn't we just tell him anyway?" Antonio suggested.

"Not unless you want Lovino to hate you and never speak to you again," Romulus replied. "I know my grandson and, if you go against his wishes on this, he'll never forgive you." Antonio sighed.

"So what do I do?" he asked.

"Just do what he wants you to for now," Romulus said. "And we'll talk him round. Be sutble because if he thinks he's being pressured, he'll dig his heels in so just slip sutble comments into the conversation every now and then."

"I'm not sure I can do sutble."

"Try!"

* * *

When Lovino returned, the subject of telling Feliciano had been dropped, just like he wanted and the conversation turned to finding out more about Antonio. He was two years older than Lovino and was heir to his late father's vineyard which gave the family a more than modest income and Antonio was learning the ropes to take over one day while his mother, a very capable lady, managed it in the meantime. Antonio learned that Lovino was working his way through college, learning culinery and business courses with the plan to opening his own restaurant.

Lovino wanted Antonio gone before Feliciano came home and they stood at the door to say goodnight. Lovino just stood there with his hands in his pockets while Antonio rubbed the back of his head, wondering what to do next.

"How will you explain me to Feliciano?" he asked.

"Just some guy I met," Lovino replied, although Antonio was not happy about being described as 'some guy'. "A new friend I made. He doesn't need to know the details." Antonio sighed.

"I'll go along with this for now," he said. "But he needs to know some time, you can't protect him for ever."

"Just get lost before he comes home, bastard!" Lovino ordered. "I'll be at the restautant tomorrow if you have to bug me again." Antonio smiled.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow, Lovi," he replied and, before Lovino could take exception to his nickname, he found himself wrapped in the Spaniard's arms with lips firmly pressed over his. Lovino struggled for a moment but gave in as Antonio was an expert kisser although Lovino did not know whether to be thrilled or upset about that as he wondered just how many people Antonio had kissed to get that good at it. The kiss broke and Lovino shoved Antonio away.

"What was that, you jerk?" he demanded, angrily and Antonio smiled.

"Don't you kiss on the first date?" he said. Lovino turned on his heel and stormed back through his front door.

"Whatever, bastard!" he fumed and slammed the door shut. Antonio grinned and walked to his car. Life with Lovino would be very interesting indeed.

He could not wait!

* * *

Antonio practically haunted the restaurant and, although Lovino griped and growled about his presence, he was happy that Antonio was not put off by his tsundere attitude like other people. The only other people would could tolerate him were family and the rare person who saw through his hostile exterior to the lonely boy inside. Everyone else avoided the angry young man and Lovino's friends were limited to family, the ones he worked with and now Antonio.

Antonio took his evening meal in the restaurant every night when Lovino was working and Lovino sat with him during his break and talked.

"What do your family say about the fact that you've found me?" Lovino asked as Antonio ate.

"I haven't told them yet," he replied. "If they know, they'll be round here, wanting to meet you and Mama would go to visit your grandfather, as is the tradition in my family and she'll want to meet Feliciano too and as you don't want him to know just yet …."

"Okay, okay!" Lovino replied, testily to hide the guilt he felt at forcing Antonio to hide this from his family. "I get the picture, Tomato Bastard." Antonio acquired the new nickname when Lovino noticed that a lot of the meals Antonio ordered contained tomatos. Seems he loved the red vegetable …. fruit …..whatever!

"I don't like keeping this from my family," Antonio sighed. "They're waiting for the day I bring my soul mate home. I can imagine Mama now, creating a big fiesta and inviting everybody round. The last time a soul mate in our family was found, the fiesta lasted three days." Lovino pretended not to be interested but he marvelled at the fact that soul mates were such a big deal in Antonio's family. What would they make of him? he wondered.

"I looked forward to the day I can introduce you to Mama," Antonio continued, hoping a little guilt trip might push Lovino in the right direction. Lovino could not help but wonder about his future mother-in-law.

"Do you think she'll like me?" he asked.

"Oh Lovi!" Antonio laughed, attempting to hug Lovino as he squirmed to get away from him. "She'll love you as much as I do." Lovino stopped squirming.

"You love me?" he asked. Antonio looked at him as if he had just asked the silliest question in the world and took his hand.

"Lovino, I would hate to have to spend my life with someone I didn't love," he replied and gave him a soft kiss. "Te amo, niño tonto! ¡Ahora y siempre! (_I love you, silly boy! Now and forever!_)" Lovino did not understand Spanish but he got the _Te amo_ part.

"Whatever, Tomato Bastard!" And Antonio laughed.

* * *

"Miss Elizaveta is going on maternity leave," Feliciano announced when he came home from his latest session with his therapist. Lovino snorted.

"That kind of thing happens when people get pregnant," he commented. "You should have realised that was coming." Feliciano sat down in his usual chair and sighed.

"Si, I did," he replied. "But I have to see a replacement. Someone called Ludwig but I like Miss Elizaveta, I don't want to see another therapist."

"It's only for a few months, idiota," Lovino huffed. "It won't kill you. It'll be good for you to meet new people, right Nonno?"

"Si," Romulus agreed. He felt that Feliciano cut himself off too much. He had been a very sociable child, even after his accident but in his mid-teens, he became less willing to meet new people. He had still seemed happy enough to Romulus until the night that Lovino came home early and all Feli's insecurities came to light. "You should make more friends, piccolo. It's not good to keep to yourself all the time." Feliciano lapsed into silence, a sign he was thinking of something serious. Lovino hoped that this new therapist might make some headway with Feli, not that Miss Elizaveta was not good at her job but Feli seemed to need something more.

One break-through, that's all Lovino asked for and then, maybe, he could introduce Antonio to Feliciano.

* * *

"You're going WHERE!" Lovino shrieked. "Why the Hell are you going to Canada?"

Antonio had managed to get Lovino to take a walk with him through the local park to tell him the news. Antonio's French friend, Francis had found a good deal on a skiing holiday in Banff and booked it for himself, Antonio and their other German, although he insisted that he was Prussian, friend, Gilbert. Antonio would have refused but Francis had already paid the deposit.

"It's only for a couple of weeks, Lovi," Antonio insisted. "Francis booked this skiing holiday for us and he's already paid money for it. I'll be back before you know it." Lovino huffed. He did not want Antonio to go, even though he griped about his presence so much and he wondered if Antonio was getting fed up with him and his insistence to keep the soul mate fact secret from Feliciano and wanted to spend time away from him.

"Fine!" he snapped. "Do whatever you want, Bastard!" Antonio pulled Lovino into a hug and nuzzled his neck while Lovino squirmed in his hold.

"Awwh, don't be like that, Lovi," he cooed. "I'll be back in two weeks and I'll make it up to you, I promise." Lovi stopped squirming and blew out a breath.

"Better be good, Tomato Bastard!"

* * *

"What's wrong, Lovino?" Romulus asked as he laid out the table for breakfast. Lovino had been quiet for a few days, a sure sign that something was bothering him, otherwise he would just be his usual grouchy self, cursing everybody out. "And don't say nothing, I know when you're brooding!" Lovino huffed.

"Antonio's gone to Canada," he grumbled. "He's there for two weeks."

"Who's Antonio?" Feliciano asked as he came through the door and walked unerringly to his seat at the table. Romulus and Lovino glanced at each other, Romulus's look saying _Tell him!_ And Lovino's saying _No way!_

"Just someone I met," Lovino replied while Romulus rolled his eyes in disappointment. "And leaving just like everyone else."

"Lovino, he's just going for two weeks," Romulus replied, putting out breakfast. "Not forever! People do go away sometimes."

"Si, I suppose," Lovino mumbled.

"Eat up, Feliciano," Romulus ordered. "It's your first session with your new therapist today, isn't it?"

"Si," Feliciano replied. He did not sound very happy at the prospect.

"Stop worrying, Feliciano," his grandfather told him, ruffling his hair in affection. "I'm sure you'll get to like your new therapist as much as Miss Elizaveta, just give him a chance."

"Oki doki, Nonno."

* * *

"My new therapist said I should get in contact with some of my old friends from school," Feliciano said as they sat down to dinner.

"This Doctor Beilschmidt could be right," Romulus replied. "You should get in touch with one of your mated friends from school. You can't live your life on what ifs, my boy and you can't live it alone!"

I'm not alone, Nonno!" Feliciano said, using his fork like a expert, despite his blindness, wrapping pasta around it. "I have you and Lovi!" Romulus sighed.

"Feli, I always won't be here," Romulus replied. "And Lovi will have his own life to lead, eventually."

"Nonno's right, fratello," Lovino agreed. "Stop being an idiota and find your soul mate!" If Lovino could persuade Feliciano to find his soul mate, it could solve everything. Feliciano could see that all his fears were unfounded and he could be happy because, despite the bubbly façade Feli put on, Lovino knew he had to be lonely. Feliciano was not the type to be lonely, it would harm him in the long run. His soul mate would prevent that.

And, of course, if it worked out, Lovino would no longer have to hide his own soul mate. Everyone wins.

"I can look some of your old friends on Facebook or Twitter," Lovino said. He often helped Feliciano with his Facebook page and it was possible that some of Feli's old school friends did too. "See how they're getting on now and if they're happy with their soul mates or not. Come on, we'll do it now!" He took Feliciano arm, lead him upstairs to their shared room and opened his laptop, signing in to Feliciano's account. Feli had friended people back in school and it was not long before Lovino found one of them. He heard a knock on the door but ignored it, knowing his grandfather would answer it instead.

"Here's one," he said. "Alice Kirkland! She was one of your friends, wasn't she?"

"Si," Feliciano replied. "What does it say?"

"Well …."

"Feliciano!" Their grandfather's voice called up the stairs. Feliciano knew his way to the door and made his way there without colliding with anything and opened the door.

"Si, Nonno!"

"Can you come down for a moment?" Romulus called. Feliciano hesitated for a moment.

"Go on!" Lovino told him. "This will still be here. Go see what Nonno wants!" Feliciano left the room and Lovino turned back to the laptop to find more of Feli's old friends who had found their soul mates and hoped for some happy stories. He checked out their profiles and everything looked promising. He was looking for more when the door opened and Lovino turned toward him to see Feli standing with a distant look on his face and he had red-rimmed eyes like he had been crying.

"What's wrong with you, idiota?"

"Mr Ludwig," Feli sniffed. "He came and said he saw my eyes and his heart started beating!" Lovino stared at Feli. This was more than Lovino could have hoped for. This was a chance for both Feliciano and Lovino.

"You've found your soul mate!" he wanted to cheer. This was just what Feli needed and then he thought about something. "He's German, isn't he? Aren't they potato loving bastards?" Feli began crying again.

"I didn't want him to find me," he said, tearfully. "Now he's stuck with me, a blind man with a unbeating heart. I've trapped him!" Lovino could not stop the impatient breath from spitting out of his mouth. Feliciano would sabotage his chance at happiness if Lovino allowed him to.

"Don't be stupid!" he snapped. "I doubt he feels trapped, probably thankful he's found you! You really think that you being blind would make your soul mate reject you! Come here, idiota!" Feli walked over to the desk that the laptop sat on and Lovino pulled him into his seat.

"Here's one of your friends," he said. "You remember Alice Kirkland, don't you?"

"Si," Feliciano replied. "She was a good friend."

"Well, she and her soul mate got married," Lovino said, reading the information. "She's Alice Bonnefoy now. And expecting her first child! She and her husband seem very happy!" Feliciano considered what he had heard.

"And there's Yao Wang!" Lovi continued. "He and his soul mate, Ivan Braginski have been together for four years and getting married this year. And there's another! And another! Everyone I've found up to now is happy with their soul mates. I haven't found everyone but I've found enough!" Feliciano was lost in thought and Lovino hoped he was getting through to him.

"Give your soul mate a chance!" Lovino ordered. "Even if he is a Potato Bastard!" Lovino prayed that Feliciano would listen to him.

**It seems Lovino has as many hang-ups about finding his soul mate as Feliciano does so it looks like he and Antonio will have some issues to work through. Let's hope they can sort them out! Part 2 is more or less ready and I promise it will be out on Thursday. Crossed my heart and hope to eat England's scones XP**

**Till Thursday,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	33. Heartbeat : The Guilty Heart Pt 2

**And here I am with the second half of the story, Enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**The Guilty Heart Pt 2**_

Feliciano took a week to make his decision and, to Lovino's relief, decided to give his soul mate a chance and it was decided that Feliciano would move in with Ludwig Beilschmidt. However, for some bizarre reason, Ludwig had made some suggestion about a trail period, after which, Feli could walked away if he felt that things were not working out. Lovino wondered what had possessed the Potato Bastard and, when Ludwig came to collect him, Lovino took a dislike to the blonde, blue-eyed German.

"You better take care of my fratello, Potato Bastard!" he said as he came down the stairs with Feli's suitcase. The truth was Lovino was a little worried about Feli. He knew that Ludwig was Feli's soul mate but he knew nothing about him and he could do anything to Feli and Lovino wanted nothing else to happen to his fratello. Ludwig gave a look as if analysing him.

"I promise, nothing will happen to him," Ludwig vowed and Lovino wanted to believe him. Felt he could but something held him back. He did not know what. And then, Romulus hugged his youngest grandson.

"I'm so happy for you, my boy!" he said. "You wouldn't have found your soul mate if you weren't meant to. Ludwig seems happy to have found you, don't throw this chance away!"

"I'll try not to, Nonno," Feliciano whispered back and his grandfather released him. Lovino grudgingly let Ludwig take the suitcases.

"Hurt him and I'll hunt you down, jerk!" Lovino warned and they all went out to Ludwig's car while Ludwig helped Feli into the car after putting his suitcase into the trunk. Romulus gave Feli a hug.

"Arrivederci, Feli!" Romulus said to his grandson. Lovino wanted Feli to know that if things got rough, he had family to help.

"If the bastard makes you miserable," he said. "Let me know and I'll come get you!" Romulus gave him a nudge in the ribs to tell him to be quiet. They stood up and shut the car door as Ludwig got in the driver's side and he started the car and pulled away. Lovino gave one last retort in the form of his middle finger which he hoped the Potato Bastard saw in his rear-view mirror. When the car was out of sight, Romulus slapped Lovino up the back of his head.

"What's wrong with you?" he scolded. "Your brother found his soul mate, why aren't you happy for him?" Lovino knew his grandfather was asking a good question, why was he so against Ludwig? He was Feli's soul mate, the one who could make him happy and who was responsible for Feli now.

That was it! Feli was now under Ludwig's care where before it was always Lovino and now Lovino was side-lined.

Lovino was jealous

* * *

It was a college day for Lovino but he could not concentrate. It was his business course which was boring at the best of time but necessary if he wanted to open his own restaurant one day. He also nodded off a couple of times while the lecturer droned on. Finally, the class finished and Lovino could make his escape.

The house was quiet without Feliciano and Lovino had not heard from him. Of course, it had only been a day but Lovino was missing his little brother already, although he would rather cut his own heart out than admit it. That Potato Bastard had better be good to him.

Lovino sat under a tree in the campus grounds, shaded from the sun, killing some time until his next class, his culinary course, began. At least in that class, he would be doing something other than being lulled to sleep by a boring, hypnotic drone. As he was stretching, his phone went off and he pulled it out of his pocket, trying to ignore the excited skip of his heart when he saw it was Antonio.

"Hola, Lovi!" Antonio's cheerful voice came down the phone. "Miss me, mi pequeño tomate?" Lovino snorted.

"You wish, Tomato Bastard," he cursed. "Why the Hell are you calling me?"

"Why wouldn't I call my soul mate?" Antonio replied. "I've tried calling you every day, Lovi, you just haven't answered."

"Because you've called when I've either been in class or working, idiota," Lovi snapped. "And when I've called back, YOU haven't answered."

"Lo siento," Antonio apologised. "It seems we've just been missing each other. But we've had an eventful day. Gilbert got drunk, went mountain-climbing and had to be rescued. Turns out one of the rescuers is his soul mate."

"I feel sorry for the poor bastard," Lovino said. "Why didn't you and the other jerk stop the moron?"

"Weelll," Antonio replied. "We tried but we were kind of drunk too." Lovino gave a derisive laugh.

"Idiotas of a feather flock together." he quipped.

"You mean birds, Lovi."

"I know what I mean, Tomato Bastard!"

"Any way," Antonio replied. "Francis has gone into seduction mode and has his eyes on someone, although I'm not sure it's such a good idea. I'm pretty sure that the lady in question is a married soul mate and has a very large Russian brother. Maybe I should try and stop him."

"Let the perverted bastard suffer!" Lovino said, adamantly. "He deserved everything he gets, hitting on someone else's wife, might teach the flirt a lesson. Just get your ass back here."

"Awwh! You do miss me," Antonio cooed.

"I just want to get you away from your friends," Lovino snapped. "They're clearly idiotas. Get back here so I can keep you out of trouble."

"Okay, Lovi," Antonio replied with a laugh. "I'll be back in a week or so. Te amo!"

"Whatever, Tomato Bastard," Lovino replied. "Ciao!" Lovino ended the call and allowed himself a little secret smile at the happiness a call from his soul mate had given him.

* * *

The next night, Lovino was at work. It was usually his night off but Marcello had called in sick and Lovino wanted to get out of the house. Romulus was out and the place was lonely without Feliciano there so he decided he would work and make some extra money.

Lovino took a quick glance at the reservation book to see if any of the tables he was overseeing had reservations and that was when he saw _L Beilschmidt : 8:00pm. Diners :2._ Lovino grinned. The Potato Bastard must be taking his brother out to dinner and Lovino was going to have fun with him. He smirked as he put the special Braille menu he always made for Feli to one side, ready for when they arrived.

Eight o'clock rolled round and Ludwig appeared, right on time, with Feliciano on his arm. Even without sight, Feliciano always managed to look his best and he was resplendent in an Armani suit and Romano had to be honest, Ludwig did not look bad either. The Maitri'D showed them to their table and now it was time for Lovino to have a little fun.

"Well, if it isn't the Potato Bastard," Lovino smirked as he came to the table with the menus which he gave to them, making sure that Feli got the one in Braille. "I thought I saw your name among the reservations. Good luck, jerk! I'm your waiter for this evening!" Feli might have given a loud cry of joy but Lovino still heard the groan Ludwig gave and he smirked.

"Lovi!" Feli gushed. "You're working tonight!"

"Yeah!" Lovino replied. "Marcello called in sick! How are you doing, idiota?"

"I'm fine!" Feliciano replied. "Ludwig brought me out to eat tonight!"

"Least he could do!" Lovino huffed. "I know what Fratello drinks, Potato Bastard, what do you drink?" Ludwig looked like he would rather have a beer but Lovino had a hunch that the Potato Bastard would want to look more refined on, what looked like, his and Feli's first date.

"Whatever Feliciano is drinking will be fine," he replied. Lovino smirked again and _I knew it!_ ran through his head as he went to get two glasses of Pinot Grigio. He watched the pair while the bar steward filled the order and though that Feli looked happy enough but who really knew. He took the wine back to the table where Feli and Ludwig were ready to order.

"I'll have Bucatini all'Amatriciana, Lovi," Feliciano said and handed his menu back to Lovino while Ludwig took a moment longer.

"And what are you ordering, Potato Bastard?" Lovino groused, hoping the Potato Bastard was not going to be another indecisive time waster. Ludwig requested Spaghetti Bolognese and Lovino rolled his eyes at the safe choice, grabbed his menu from his hand and went to give the order to the kitchen.

"Hey, Sadik," he called out. "Bucatini all'Amatriciana for my fratello and Spaghetti Bolognese for the Potato Bastard!" Sadik looked up from the pot he was stirring.

"Potato Bastard?" he asked.

"My fratello's soul mate," Lovino replied. "He's German!" Sadik gave an ahh sound and went back to stirring the pot while Lovino went back out to see to his other tables, all the while, keeping an eye on his brother and his soul mate. That was why he did not notice someone come up behind him until …..

"Hola, mi pequeño tomate!" Lovino spun round to find Antonio stood behind him with a big, soppy, happy smile on his face.

"What are you doing here, you jerk?" Lovino fumed. "I thought you were in Canada with your idiota friends!" Antonio gave Lovino a bigger smile.

"Gil found his soul mate," he replied. "So he cut his holiday short. Francis found someone to seduce and went off with them so I came home to be with you." Antonio tried to kiss Lovino but Lovino shoved him away with a hand to the face.

"I'm at work!" he huffed. "And Feli's here with his soul mate!"

"And I want to spend time with mine," Antonio pouted. "We should be together now. When are you going to tell Feli about me? If he's found his soul mate now, he shouldn't react too badly!"

"They might not stay together," Lovino groused. "Stupid Potato Bastard is letting Feli have a trial period because of his stupid hang-up about his heart. Feli could still walk away from it!" Antonio looked surprised.

"I wouldn't let you get away from me so easily," he promised. "The moment my heart started beating, you were mine!" Lovino snorted.

"I'm beginning to think my fratello is the lucky one!" he commented. "I'm going to see if their meals are ready. Try not to make the place look untidy!" Antonio gave a pout as Lovino went into the kitchen, hiding the smile on his face. Antonio had come back! None of Lovino's name calling or hostile attitude had Antonio running away and Lovino wondered if Fate really did know more than mere mortals. Now, if only Feli could get his happily ever after.

* * *

Lovino delivered Ludwig and Feliciano's meals and left them to it but watched them from a distance as they chatted. Feli looked comfortable with Ludwig and even contented so maybe this will work out. Lovino really wanted his brother to be happy.

They finished their meals and Lovino went take their dessert order. Feli always like dessert afterwards.

"What do you want, Potato Bastard?" he groused. "We don't do strudel!" Lovino would not normally be so outspokenly rude to the diners, despite what he might call them in his head but if Ludwig complained and got Lovino into trouble, that would upset Feli and Lovino would milk that for all it was worth.

"I'll just have some chocolate gelato, fratello," Feli chirped and while Ludwig was still choosing, Lovino wrote that down.

"I'll have the Tiramisu," Ludwig said and Lovino wrote that down too, put the pad in his apron pocket, put the menus under his arm, picked up the empty plates and went into the kitchen.

"Chocolate gelato and a piece of Tiramisu!" he called.

"Keep your curl on!" the dessert chef called back and Lovino flipped him off as he went back into the restaurant, only to be cornered by Antonio.

"Lovi," he said. "I want us to tell Feliciano. I'm tired of staying in the shadows, I want to be with you and get to know my new familia (_family_)." Lovino just shook his head.

"The time's not right," he replied. "He's still not ready to hear it." Neither one heard the rest room door open.

"Come on, Lovi!" Antonio begged. "We should tell him, then we don't have to hide it any more."

"For the last time, no!" Lovino replied, resolutely. "Not until things are more settled with the Potato Bastard!"

"Feliciano has to know!" Antonio, adamantly. "And, you never know, it might encourage him to make a decision. I just want us to be together, Lovi!"

"I'm not accepting that bastard until I'm sure Feli's safe with him," Lovino said. "I'm sorry, 'Toni but I want my fratellino _(little brother) _safe and settle before I can think about us."

"I know!" Antonio replied in resignation but a little happy that, for the first time, Lovi had called him by, at least, a variation of his name and not Tomato Bastard. "I just want my soul mate by my side, where you belong!" They walked away, not realising that Feliciano had heard every word.

"Just sit by the bar and don't cause trouble, idiota," Lovino ordered and got Antonio a drink and then he went back to the kitchen to collect Feli and Ludwig's desserts. They were just being put on the collection shelf and Lovino scooped them up and took them into the restaurant. As he walked up to his fratello and the Potato Bastard's table, he immediately knew something was wrong. Ludwig was leaning toward Feliciano who's face was pale and tear stained. What was the Potato Bastard saying to his fratello to upset him like that. He walked up to the table, slamming the dishes on to it and turned on Ludwig.

"What have you done to my fratello, you bastard?" he swore but Lovino was not prepared for Feli's reaction.

"What did HE do! WHAT DID _HE_ DO!" Lovino had heard his brother shout with joy, wail in tears and cried out in surprise but one thing he had never heard was Feli shout at him in anger. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU'D FOUND YOUR SOUL MATE?" Everyone turned to stare at the man yelling at the waiter who bore a striking resemblance to him. Lovino went pale. Feliciano knew! How had he found out? Ludwig pulled a now crying Feliciano into his arms, trying to comfort him.

"I think we should take this somewhere else, liebling," he said and Lovino looked round to see all the other diners staring at them and he lead them to the restaurant staffroom, wondering how he could make this right and still wondering how Feli had found out. It had to have been earlier when he and Antonio talking and Feli had somehow overheard him.

Ludwig took Feli to sit down on the couch in the staffroom and Feli began sobbing on Ludwig's shoulder. Lovino could not believe what he had done. He had just wanted to spare his fratello pain but he had failed him. Again!

Antonio had heard the commotion and quickly came to the conclusion that Feliciano had found out about him but it sounded like it had happened in the worse possible way and he followed them, waiting at the staffroom door.

"Fratello!" Lovino plead. "I'm sorry! I was afraid to tell you about Antonio! I was afraid it would upset you and …. and ….." Lovino could not finished the sentence but Feli knew what he was talking about.

"I wouldn't try to kill myself again," he wept but Lovino fell to his knees beside Feli and put his hands on like someone begging for forgiveness.

"I was too scared to take that risk!" Lovino began crying now. "Do you know what it was like when I came home to find you with a knife to your wrist, Feli! I was so scared if I told you, you might do it again and this time, I wouldn't be there to save you!" He put his head down on Feli's knee and wept.

"I don't want to lose you, fratello!" he whispered. Then he felt Feli's hands on top of his head.

"I'm sorry, fratello," Feli whispered and Lovino got up and hugged his little brother. "I didn't realise what finding me like that did to you. I know you've always blamed yourself for my blindness, I should have realised that you might blame yourself for my suicide attempt as well. I'm sorry, fratello!"

"Your blindness IS my fault!" Lovino blamed himself. "It was my idea to climb the trees you fell from!"

"I could have said no," Feli replied. "I wanted to climb them as much as you. You have to stop blaming yourself for that, Lovi! I'm fine now so stop!" Lovino stood up and wiped his eyes.

"I really am sorry that I didn't tell you about Antonio," he insisted. Feliciano looked toward the door.

"Will you introduce me to your soul mate?" Lovino turned to see Antonio in the doorway who looked surprised that Feliciano was aware of his presence.

"How did you know I was here?" he asked. Feli smiled, softly.

"I heard you and Lovi talking earlier and smelt your cologne," he replied. So Lovino had been right! "I can smell it now! Ciao, I'm Feliciano Vargas!" Feli held out his hand for Antonio to shake.

"Hola!" he said. "I'm Antonio Carriedo! I've wanted you to know about me for a long time and it's nice to finally meet you!" He turned to Ludwig.

"Hola!" Ludwig took his hand and shook it.

"Guten tag!" Ludwig replied. "I'm Ludwig Beilschmidt, Feliciano's soul mate! Pleased to meet you!"

"Oh, you're Gilbert's brother!" Antonio exclaimed. "I was in Canada with him recently! You know he found his soul mate?"

"Ja," Ludwig replied. "and how they found each other while Gilbert was stuck, drunk, half-way up a mountain!" There was a giggle from Feliciano which Lovino was happy to hear and Antonio blushed with embarrassment.

"Si!" he said. "Me, Gilbert and Francis were all drunk. We tried to stop him but you know Gilbert!"

"Ja!" Ludwig answered. "Unfortunately, I do! Both Gilbert and Matthew are at home, right now! Matthew seems like a good person, maybe he can reign Gil in a little!"

"Perhaps!" Antonio agreed.

"I think, perhaps, I should take Feliciano home," Ludwig said as Feliciano began to lean against his arm, looking weary. "This has been trying for him so I'll just pay the bill and take him home to rest." Lovino looked like he was going to argue but took one look at Feliciano's tired face and just nodded. He went to get Ludwig's bill which Ludwig paid and Lovino and Antonio followed them out to the car.

"I'll come by tomorrow. Feli," Lovino promised.

"Si," Feli replied, tiredly. "And we'll have a proper talk. We need to." Lovino sighed.

"Si," he agreed. "We do. Buenonoite, fratello."

"Buenonoite, Lovi," Feli slurred and Lovino knew that Feliciano would be asleep before he reached the Potato Bastard's house. He and Antonio watched as the car pulled away.

"I hope he'll be all right," Lovino muttered. Antonio put his arm around Lovino's shoulders.

"He'll be just fine with Ludwig," he replied.

"You don't even know the bastard," Lovino huffed.

"No," he replied. "But he's Gilbert's brother so …."

"Your friend's a idiot!"

"Si," Antonio agreed. "But he's a good idiot. Don't worry, Lovi. Feliciano will be just fine."

* * *

After work, Lovino and Antonio walked back to Lovino's house with Antonio's arm around Lovino's waist which he did not try to remove. Antonio took this to mean that Lovino wanted the comfort because he was still worried about his brother.

"Everything will be fine, Lovi," he reassured. "You and your brother will talk tomorrow and clear the air and it'll be better than before, you'll see."

"He was so upset that I didn't tell him about you," Lovino muttered. "I've never seen him angry at me like that before."

"It was just shock," Antonio replied. "That's why I kept telling you to tell him yourself."

"You just didn't wanted to hide it any more," Lovino huffed.

"Si, true!" Antonio replied. "But I knew it would be better if Feli heard it from you. I guess I can tell Mama now."

"Hold your tomatoes, Tomato Bastard!" Lovino snapped. "Let me talk to Feli first, nothing's settled yet until I see him."

"Okay," Antonio conceded and then he took Lovino's chin in his hand and put his lips firmly over Lovino's. "Then we go see Mama together! And don't worry, Lovi! Mama will love you." And he kissed him again.

* * *

Next day, Lovino stood outside the Potato Bastard's house, eyeing the door with apprehension. Behind the door was his brother and they had issues to resolve so ringing the door bell was a must and, after a few minutes, the door opened and Ludwig stood in the doorway.

"Hey, Potato Bastard," Lovino gave his usual charming greeting. "I came to see my fratello, is he about?"

"Ja," Ludwig replied, letting Lovino come in. "He's in the kitchen, finishing breakfast." Lovino walked past Ludwig and into the kitchen.

"Hey, fratello," he said as he walked into the room. Feliciano greeted him enthusiastically. A little too enthusiastically and Lovino could pick up on some tension in the room and wondered what was going on.

"Ciao, Lovino," he chirped. "Lovino, this is Ludwig's fratello, Gilbert!" Gilbert smirked and gave a little wave while Lovino muttered something about more Potato Bastards. "And this is his soul mate, Matthew Williams from Canada!" Matthew smiled, chewing a piece of pancake and Lovino's mouth got the better of him.

"Canada!" Lovino said. "Aren't you all maple bastards there?" Matthew choked.

"Let's go somewhere to talk, Lovi," Feli said before Lovino killed someone. "Ludwig, can we use the sitting room?"

"Ja," Ludwig replied, glaring Gilbert. "I'll see to it that you're NOT disturbed!" Once again, there was a hint that something had happened before Lovino had arrived.

"This way, fratello!" Feli unerringly lead Lovino to the sitting room.

"What was going on in there?" Lovino asked after the door shut behind them and they both sat down on the couch.

"What do you mean?"

"You couldn't get out of the room fast enough," Lovino replied. "So what's happen?" Feli blushed.

"Something happened this morning and everyone's very embarrassed about it," he admitted.

"What did the Potato Bastard do?" Lovino growled, ready to go and confront the German for whatever he had done wrong.

"Nothing!" Feli exclaimed. "You always think he's done something to me!"

"I'm just worried about you, fratello!" Lovino replied. "I don't know what this man is like! He could be violent and cruel for all I know and, with your blindness, you'd be helpless against him if he struck out at you!"

"Well, you don't have to worry any more, Lovi." Feli told him. "Ludwig's never been anything but nice to me, fratello. He's a good person, believe me!"

"If you say so!" Lovino muttered.

"I do say so!" Feli replied. "When I said I had no choice but to be his soul mate, he gave me a choice when he could have just agreed and made me be his soul mate when I wasn't ready. He's given me time to accept all this. I could have walked away and left him and he knew that but he took that risk, just so I could be happy in my eventual choice! Who but a good person would do all that?"

"What do you mean 'you could have walked away'?" Lovino asked.

"I'm staying with Luddy!" Feli announced. "No more trial period, no more running away from Fate! Luddy's my soul mate, the one I'm destined to spend my life with and that's what I'm going to do! I'm finally moving on with my life and that's what you need to do too!"

"Eh!" Lovino was confused. "I've accepted my soul mate!"

"But held yourself back because of me!" Feli declared. "You still blame yourself because of the accident that made me go blind! Maybe you did suggest we climb those trees but I didn't say no, I didn't even try to say no. The decision was mine! And I was the one who believed I had no future with a soul mate and became depressed and suicidal. That was me, not you but you took on responsibility for that too so you hid an important part of your life from me because you were afraid it would make me suicidal again. It was stupid and selfish and it made me ill. All those other people I went to the Blind School with have got on with their lives while I stood still and you ended up standing still with me. Well, not any more!" Feli grabbed his fratello's hands.

"Go to Antonio!" he ordered. "Go make a life with your soul mate and I'll make a life with mine. If you feel you have to make anything up to me, then do it by living your own life and being happy!" Lovino was surprised at his brother being so out going and optimistic about his future. Maybe Fate had found the right soul mate for his fratello after all.

"I wish you every happiness, fratello," Lovino said and kissed his brother on the forehead. "Although I'll still hunt the Potato Bastard down if he hurts you!" Feli chuckled.

"Go on!" he said. "I'm sure Antonio's waiting for you!" Lovino pulled his hands from Feli's grip.

"I see you later, fratello," he promised. "Arrivederci!" He got up and left to meet Antonio with the feeling that everything was going to be just fine.

* * *

Antonio was waiting at the end of the street, leaning against the wall but stood up straight when he saw Lovino coming toward him.

"Well," he asked. "How did it go, Lovi?" Lovino grabbed Antonio and kissed him hard.

"Never mind that, Tomato Bastard!" he replied. "Let's go! We have something to tell your Mama!"

* * *

Isabella Carriedo certainly knew how to throw a party and it involved the entire neighbourhood as well as the entire Carriedo family. Ludwig and Feli also attended but Gilbert and Matthew had returned to Canada. Feliciano gave Lovino a massive surprise when he took Lovino's hand and put it on his chest so Lovino could feel Feliciano's beating heart. All Feli could say was _I saw Luddy's soul!_ Lovino did not understand but he was not about to question it. All that time believing that Feli would never have a heartbeat and it happened any way. Fate was a funny bitch.

Music played for four days solid and no one complained because everyone was at the party. Lovino was just absorbed into the Carriedo family to the point that he was overwhelmed and almost wanted to escape. Romulus, however, revelled in the festivities and got along _very well_ with Antonio's mother. Both were widowed soul mates so it was all good.

"When are you to going to set the date?" Isabella, a woman who resembled her son, asked. "I can't wait to help you organise the wedding, Lovi." And she kissed her future son-in-law on the cheek. Lovino became red and flustered.

"Awwh!" she cooed. "You look just like a little tomate!" _Mio __Dio__! _Lovino thought. _Like mother, like son!_

"We're going to talk about that, Mama," Antonio decided to rescue his soul mate. He knew what his mother was like when she began talking weddings. "If you'll excuse us..." And he pulled Lovino away.

"Don't come back until you name the day!" Isabella called after them. Antonio and Lovino ran a gauntlet of hugs, congratulations and kisses from Antonio's family and, by some miracle, managed to find a private spot.

"Wedding!" Lovino exclaimed. "Is your mother nuts? We've only announced we're soul mates!"

"For Mama, that's enough," Antonio replied. "If you're soul mates, it's a done deal." He wrapped his arms around Lovino. "So what do you say, Lovi? What date's good for you?"

"What kind of proposal is that, Tomato Bastard?" Lovino snapped. "You haven't even asked me yet!"

"Lo siento," Antonio apologised, let Lovino go and got down on one knee. He took a ring box out of his pocket and opened it. Nestling within was a gold band with a single but large diamond. "Lovino Romano Vargas, my soul mate, will you do me the honour of becoming my husband?" Lovino stared at the ring and then at Antonio.

"You had this planned, didn't you, jerk!" he fumed. "Did you put your mother up to that performance?" Antonio just smiled.

"No," he replied. "That was pure Mama but I knew I could rely on her. So what do you say, Lovi? Will you make me the happiest man in the world?"

"I'm not sure if I should," Lovino replied with a snort. "You're too damn happy as it is!" Antonio's smile dropped. Lovino could not do it any more and started laughing.

"Get up, idiota!" he chortled. "Of course, I'll marry you!" Antonio's face burst into a big grin and he stood up, wrapped his arms around Lovino and swung him round as Lovino screamed in laughing fright.

"Put me down, Tomato Bastard," he squealed. "Or I'm going to puke all over you!" It was a empty threat but Antonio put him down, just long enough to pull Lovino tightly into a passionate kiss. Lovino did not fight him and put his arms around Antonio's neck. Lost in their own little world, neither of them saw Isabella, who had followed them and had seen everything. She decided to leave the love-birds, as Antonio pushed the ring on to Lovino's finger, now that everything was settled and walked away, planning a lavish wedding in her head.

Only the best for her baby and his soul mate!

**If Isabella Carriedo got her way, Antonio and Lovino's wedding would be bigger than the Royal Wedding XP Our two favourite Italians are settled with their soul mates and all's right with the Hetalia World. Well, until I mess with it again! (Muahahaha!)**

**I'm not sure when I'll be updating again but I will when I have something ready. In the meantime, I'm off to Manchester to a two day convention on Saturday. A younger relative is going as Ciel in Wonderland so I'm going as White Rabbit Sebastian on Day One and on day Two another relation is going to be Levi so I'm Hanji. Let's hope the Rainy City doesn't live up to its name (some bloody hope!).**

**So till next time,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


	34. Heart Of The Lily

**Hello Guys! Had a great time at MCM Manchester Comic Con (Britain). My little niece was Ciel in Wonderland and had fangirls galore gushing over _how cute she was! Squeee! _As White Rabbit Sebastian, I felt a bit like her accessory but it was all fun and everybody wants to do it again next year. I think somebody might be Rin Okumura from Blue Exorcist next time because I bought a replica of Rin's sword.**

**A few readers have asked for a Iceland x Liechtenstein story as I mentioned that in the first chapter so here it is. After the drama of Heartbeat : Rescue Me, I thought I would do a nice relaxing chapter of boy meets girl, enjoy!**

**Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!**

_**Heart Of The Lily**_

Emil had to get out of _The Little Mermaid_ before the noise of drunken revellers drove him insane as he tried to study. His brother-in-law, Matthias was no help and was quite often one of the revellers, much to the disapproval of his soul mate and husband, and Emil's older Norwegian half-brother, Lukas Bondevik. Emil himself was from Iceland, a child of their mother's second marriage which had not lasted and Emil grew up in Iceland with his father and was given his name, Steilsson. After his death when he was nine, he had gone to live with his mother and half brother who now lived in Sweden.

His brother, Lukas found and married his Danish soul mate, Matthias Kohler and they opened _The Little Mermaid _Tavern which attracted some rowdy patrons with Matthias joining in. Many a night, Lukas had dragged Matthias out of the bar-room, usually by his tie. This was not a good environment for Emil to study in though, even in the afternoon where the patrons were not so much drunk as merry but it was still noisy so Emil decided to take himself and his books off to the nearest park. He opened his books on an empty picnic table and began to study the subjects needed for his life's goal, to be a volcanologist and he settled down to read up on volcanic rock formations.

A few people passed him, in pairs, probably soul mates, people walking their dogs, mothers pushing their babies or toddlers in prams but no one disturbed Emil and the sun was nice, warm but with a cooling breeze preventing it from getting too hot so Emil's afternoon passed pleasantly as he made notes of useful information for his studies. He set his books aside and began to gather up his study files.

"Die Lilien sind schön, Großer Bruder! _(The lilies are beautiful,__ Big Brother!_)," a young female's voice called and Emil looked up to see a small blonde-haired girl run down the path toward a flower-bed filled with yellow Neroli Viviparnum lilies and she bent down to smell them. A blonde man followed her down the path at a slower walk, tapping the ground with a stick coated in white. The two had a similar hairstyle but the girl wore a bluish ribbon on the right side of her head.

"Gehen sie nicht zu weit voraus, Lili! (_Don't go too far ahead, Lili!_)," the man ordered as he tapped his way toward her and Emil immediately realised that the man was blind as the girl ran back to him and took his arm, leading him to the lilies. He did not understand any of their conversation but he considered it none of his business as he picked up his books and began to leave, heading away from their direction.

* * *

Lili had forgotten that they were on holiday and that Vash was not used to the area as she ran ahead to look at the lilies until he called her back. She knew that he was not worried for himself but rather that he was very protective and did not like Lili to stray too far from him, especially in unfamiliar surroundings. Vash had been born blind and so never realised that Lili had begun to cut her hair like his until someone had remarked on how cute his 'little brother' was and bought her a ribbon to wear in her hair so everyone would know she was a girl. Now she wore it every day.

She ran back to Vash and wrapped her arms around his, leading him to the pretty lilies in the park they had decided to take a stroll through. While Vash could not see the lilies, he could smell them and touch their petals which he liked to do in their garden back at their home against the back drop of the Alps, another sight that Vash had never seen but could feel and smell the fresh breeze that blew down from the peaks.

Lili was sometimes sad for her brother who's life seemed solitary to her and she wished he would find his soul mate but he insisted that he was content with the way things were, that it was pointless if his heart would never beat and he believed that a soul mate would just be an inconvenience, messing up his orderly life. No, he wanted no intrusions on his personal space.

As they reached the lilies, Lili saw a boy by a picnic table out of the corner of her eye, gathering up the books he had obviously been studying from. He was about seventeen with platinum blonde hair. _Must be a local_ she thought as he picked up his books and walked away.

* * *

"Where did you disappear to?" Lukas asked as Emil came through the tavern door. Emil rolled his eyes at the merry roar that came from the bar-room.

"To the park," he replied. "To get some peace to study." Lukas looked toward the bar-room and understood his little brother's predicament. A tavern was not the best place to absorb knowledge, especially one run by Matthias.

"Next time, let me know," Lukas said and Emil rolled his eyes again.

"Yes, mom!" he mocked and climbed the stairs to his room. He was not a child any more.

"I'm your Big Brother," Lukas called up after him, launching into an old argument.

"Mom!"

"Big Brother!"

"MOM!" Emil shut his door behind him and Lukas gave a sigh, going back into the bar-room where Matthias was encouraging his mostly Swedish patrons into a very loud rendition of 'Copenhagen'.

* * *

Emil's courses were over for another day and he was sitting outside his favourite café, drinking coffee before he made his way home, like he usually did. Class had gone well and he was in a good mood as he brought the cup to his lips again. He drained the last of the brew and put the cup down and picked up his book bag.

* * *

Vash and Lili made their way down the street, Lili looking for a place for them to eat. There was a café ahead that looked like a good place with seating outside and she lead her brother toward it. There was a nineteen year old getting up to leave that looked familiar. It was as she got closer that she recognised him as the boy from the park, probably from the school that they had passed earlier.

He had his eyes down as they came within feet of him and he was about to look up when, suddenly, a large dog ran up behind them, knocking into Vash and sending him flying.

"Big Brother!" Lili exclaimed in German as he felled forward. The boy dropped his bag and instinctively grabbed Vash to arrest his fall, almost collapsing under the taller and older man's weight.

Emil looked up at the cry of _Großer Bruder! _and let go of his bag to catch the body falling toward him. The blonde man was taller and heavier than him but he just about managed to hold the wieght until the man could find his feet again and Emil picked up the white cane the man had dropped and put it back in his hand.

"Danke!" the man said when he was upright again. Emil recognised the word _Danke_ as _Thank you._

"You're welcome," he replied, hoping the man would understand English as it was unlikely that he would understand Emil's native Icelandic or any of the other Nordic languages Emil spoke. "I'm Emil Steilsson. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," the man replied, understanding the language. "I'm Vash Zwingli and this is my little sister, Lili." Emil turned to look at the cute sixteen year old girl stood by Vash. She had her brother's blonde hair, cut the same and he recognised the ribbon from the girl who had been in the park and realised that this was the same brother and sister. She even had the same coloured eyes as her brother as bright green met violet.

_Ba-bump, ba bump, ba bump!_

Both Emil and Lili put their hands on their hearts as they felt them begin to beat. Lili never expected to find her soul mate when she and her brother decided to come on this holiday but there he was standing in front of her. This seventeen year old with whitish blonde hair and violet eyes and he looked nice but Big Brother was not going to like this. After all, they were on holiday and the boy was clearly a local but he was her soul mate.

"Hello, Emil," she said and he took her hand as she held it out to him.

"Hello, Lili," he replied. Now Lili just had to break the news to her brother.

* * *

Emil invited them both back to _The Little Mermaid_, somewhere Vash was reluctant to go but was persuaded by Lili and, after introducing his brother and brother-in-law, he and Lili broke the news.

"NO!" Vash said, adamantly. "This can't happen! We're only here on holiday so how are you supposed to be soul mates if one is in Sweden and the other's in Switzerland, it won't work!" Lukas had to agree but they were soul mates! Some kind of compromise had to be reached.

"We have to work something out," Lukas replied. "We can't keep soul mates apart."

"Hey guys," Matthias exclaimed. "She could stay here with us. We'd look after her."

"No way!" Vash put his foot down. "My little sister's not staying in a foreign country with strangers, especially in a tavern. It's kind of you but it's not happening!" Lukas sighed.

"Unless you're prepared to move countries," he replied. "I don't know how this is going to work."

"There is another way," Emil said. "I go to college in another year. I could go to one in Switzerland." Lukas was not happy about that and neither was Vash.

"You plan to live in Switzerland alone!" Lukas exclaimed. "You're seventeen! How will you support yourself without us there?"

"I'll have to do it some time," Emil replied. "And I'll be eighteen when I go to college so I would be moving out any way. And I would get a job like any other student."

"And where do you plan to stay while studying?" Vash asked, sternly.

"He could stay with us, Big Brother," Lili replied. "He is my soul mate, after all." Vash did not like that one bit.

"Lili, I don't think …..."

"This is my soul mate, Vash!" Lili replied in a surprising stern voice. "You might not want yours but I want mine. We have the room."

"Lili ….. "

"Vash!"

"We have a year," Lukas intervened before a family fight could ensue. "Time to get things arranged, even arrange accommodation if necessary. I'm not happy with the idea of Emil leaving but he's right. He'd move away at some point and he should be with his soul mate." Vash gave in. This was the disruption he worried his own soul mate would bring to his life but he realised that it was inevitable.

"We'll arrange something," he sighed and Lili smiled, happily.

* * *

_Two years later ….._

Emil stood outside the campus of Bern University on his first day of his second year. He had his own room in Vash's house which he had to stick to as there was no sharing with Vash's seventeen year old sister, soul mate or no soul mate, and he got a job as a barista to pay for food and other bills that he shared with Vash and Lili.

Emil had also learnt German so he could communicate with Lili and Vash in their own language, as well as his fellow students so his life was good as a university student and it was about to get even better.

Lili took his arm and smiled up at Emil. She might have been nervous about her first day at the university but she had Emil to show her around and tell her what she needed to know. She would be taking volcanology courses too and she hoped that, when Emil achieved his dream and became a volcanologist, her skills would be useful to him as they planned to marry after university but that was for the future.

"Ready?" he asked and Lili smiled again.

"Ready!" she replied and, after a quick kiss, they walked into the university.

**Fairly straight forward chapter but after Ivan and Yao's chaotic story I wanted to calm things down a bit. Switzerland actually has four main languages. German, French, Italian and Romansh but most speak German so I made that Vash and Lili's language. As Iceland is known (a little TOO well) for it's volcanoes, I decided to have Emil studying to be a volcanologist. Vash is blind because I mentioned that he went to the same Blind School as Feliciano in Heartbeat Love Is Blind. Btw, the Neroli Viviparnum lily is the national flower of Liechtenstein.**

**To Normandy – Happy Spain and Happy Romano make for Happy Spanamo! XD**

**I don't know when I'll have something to post next but rest assured I am still writing and when I have something ready, I post it immediately. **

**Till then,**

**Hasta la Pasta!**


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